That Shinigami A Sebastian Michaelis Story
by PlutoCookie
Summary: Collins is an upcoming Shinigami. What happens when she constantly encounters the demon butler during field work in the mortal realm? What will William-sama think! Oh dear!:P Follows manga storylines
1. First Meeting

Name: ~~~ Collins

Age: ? (looks 19)

Hair: Ember red

Eyes: Grey blue

Death Scythe: Twin dueling swords

Info: I'm new to the Shinigami field work side of things. Therefore, while I have learned to fight, I need some real experience. William T Spears is my mentor. He has guided me on how to be the ideal grim reaper since I got here. He doesn't seem to mind me since we work well together as a team. He often asks me to assist him on jobs so as to avoid overtime. We both hate overtime _**sigh.**_

That Shinigami, First Meeting.

I sighed tiredly, removing my glasses to rub my eyes vigorously. It was late and I was caught finishing up paperwork for my senpais who took advantage of my lower status -_- . No one was around and that left me in an eerie silence. It aggravated me that I was stuck doing stupid, pointless documents this late, but as William tells me: to get promoted, one must be efficient and work hard. Ugh. I hate that he's most likely right but am thankful he pushes me to improve. Groaning for the final time, I filled out the final few documents.

The sound of footsteps drew my attention from binding pages together. I set aside my work into a neat pile and glanced fondly at my superior: William T Spears. My idea of the uniform shinigami.

"Finished with _your_ paperwork Collins-san?" he quirked an eyebrow.

"Hai William-sama. I'm officially liberated for the night" I smiled grimly. William closed his eyes and heaved a tired sigh. He seemed troubled, causing me to furrow my eyebrows. He adjusted his glasses before peering at me steadily. Stoic as ever.

"Speaking of which, I've come to request your assistance. I've been given the task of locating and retrieving one Greil Sutcliff. You are aware of his recent activity in the mortal realm?" he asked. Now it made sense. Only Greil could cause William such stress and grief...that and over time. My expression became a mask as I nodded. As much as I adored the scarlet buffoon, he made disgracing the shinigami rep look like he was simply breathing air. I stood from my deskand motioned for William-sama to lead the way.

Once in the city of London**, **we split up to cover more ground. William headed to the West End and I took the East End. The night was chilly yet clear. The moon provided sufficient light to illuminate the streets below. I was enjoying the change from office to city sights. Landing on a red slated roof, I stopped to admire the stars when a commotion was heard to my right. Feeling a sudden urge to investigate, I leapt of in its direction.

From my position on the rooftop of an abandoned building, I had a perfect view of the unusual scene before me. Our notorious red head had a demon butler trapped against a wall with his death scythe. A mortal woman dressed in red pinned a defenseless child against a wall and held a knife high in the air, poised to slash his throat open.

"You should never have been born!" she screamed in anguish. What followed next happened so fast, a mere mortal would be unable to comprehend it as anything but a blur of shadows.

The demon sacrificed his shoulder to Greil's death scythe, in order to rush to the boy's aid. He was closing in on the woman, ready to pounce. Feeling it was my duty to keep balance between mortal and supernatural, I sprang from my perch and launched myself at the demon. I slammed into him and ended up straddling him at the waist on the cold ground just as the boy cried out "No! Sebastian do not kill her!".

My sudden appearance took everyone by surprise although the two mortals were too busy sizing each other up. Greil was busy trying to free his chain saw from a wall and I was engaged in a glaring contest with the demon. No doubt he was handsome, but I wasn't here to socialise. I was on duty and had a role to fulfill. My eyes made it clear why I had interfered though his were full of rage and a hint of curiosity. Suddenly time sped back up and he began panting heavily. He flinched and held his fresh wound tightly to stop the bleeding. Remembering myself, I jumped lightly to my feet and bowed.

"I beg your pardon" I murmured softly and turned my attention to Greil. The human child was frozen in shock. His breathes came in light foggy clouds while the woman's frame shook with her sobs, her face riddled with guilt. Her sobs were desperate, almost pleading "I...I can't...".

"~~~-chan? What are _you_ doing here?" sneered Greil with a final tug on his scythe.

"I'm here to retrieve _you_ senpai. Your actions smear the shinigami name with shame and dishonour" I spat ferociously. What a mess he had made of things! In the mortal realm no less! William will be furious. I stalked up to him as he turned to approach the woman. He was barely looking at me now. I scowled, sick of being looked down on and was preparing to reprimand him when he grabbed my face and flung me into a wall. I groaned painfully as I felt my nose come close to breaking. William may be a cold mentor but Greil could be an abusive senpai when he wanted to. I glared at the demon who frowned deeply at me from the ground. Hissing, I got to my feet and turned back to Greil who was only a few feet from the red lady.

"If you don't kill him, he'll kill you instead! And after I've gone to all the trouble of assisting you!" he complained. I began pacing toward him.

"But...but! This child is my-guah!" she never got to plead her case as Greil slashed her open. I let out a shout of disapprovement and ran to their side.

"I'm so disappointed in you Madam Red. I can't say I care a shred for the plain woman you've become" Greil scolded as her cinematic record seeped out of her wound and began to play. We all watched solemnly as Madam Red's life flashed before our eyes. As it ended, I noticed the demon rise to his feet and approach his master. I snapped my attention back to the matter at hand. Grabbing Greil by his collar, I slammed him against the nearest wall and pinned him there with my blades.

"Sutcliff-san! This is unacceptable! You WILL return to Shinigami Dispatch Society at once to atone for your crimes!" I growled venomously. My demenor unnerved the red reaper and he nodded timidly, quivering slightly. I turned to lead the way out of the alley.

"The curtain has fallen on your cheap performance of 'life'. Farewell...Madam" tsked Greil as he followed behind me. Behind us, we heard the boy order his demon to finish Greil off. I was about to tell the brat off when Greil kick me with such force, I went sailing over the rooftops. Just my luck, however, I crashed and broke my fall on William T Spears. Great.

I immediately began to apologise profusely and hauled him to his feet. We dusted ourselves off and I explained what had and what was taking place in the East End. Then I lead the way to the scene. We arrived just as the demon was about to end Greil with 'his favourite toy' when William interfered. Everyone's head snapped in our direction.

"Pardon the intrusion. I am William T Spears from the management division of Grim Reaper Dispatch. I have come to claim that reaper" he greeted before we jumped to the ground below, William landing on a frantic Greil. I landed beside the child and noticed he had draped his former outer layer over the deceased woman. Taking pity, I shed my trenchcoat and draped it over him with a kind smile. He looked at me in shock but I nodded to him and approached William's side dutifully.

"Dispatch member Greil Sutcliff. You are guily of having violated our ordinances. First, by killing those not on the list of the dead" I kicked Greil in the temple, "second, by using a death scythe without submitting application for use" I ground my heel into his stomach. Reaching down, I grabbed him by the hair and began to drag him away while William had a...civil encounter with the demon. When he was done, he returned to my side.

"Good grief...we're understaffed to begin with...and now I shan't be able to clock out on time yet again thanks to you" vented William. I rolled my eyes. He better not ask me to stay back and help him with paperwork! We felt somthing sail through the air behind us. Willaim and I spared eachother a sideward glance before he caught Greil's chain saw between two fingers. I turned slightly and watched the devil expectantly.

"You forgot something" he smiled innocently. I smirked at his response.

"Cheers for that. Hopefully we won't have a run in quite like this again" I waved and followed William back to HQ. The whole way back, William-sama wouldn't stop bitching and moaning about over time. Then he asked for my help doing paperwork, causing me to bitch and moan about paper work formalitites. Damn you Greil Sutcliff-senpai!


	2. Hunting

**That shinigami...Hunting**

It took F-O-R-E-V-E-R to fill out the forms of paperwork required to explain and discern Greil's recent actions. William and I spent the whole night working frivilously to finish up and retire for the night. Needless to say, neither of us got much sleep when we finally arrived at our respective dwellings.

I yawned tiredly the next morning as I truged into my workspace. I was greeted by the paperwork of other senpais. I twitched at the sight and gritted my teeth so hard, I was afraid I'd grind them to dust! William just so happened to walk by and noticed an unseemly stack of papers glaring up at me. I really am thankful that William likes me enough to tolerate and look out for me. It makes me want to never let him down and succeed in his honour. He handled the situation before I could explode.

"Ronald Knox! A moment if you please" he said loudly as Ronald-kun strutted by. The party loving shinigami made his way over to us and greeted me with a friendly wink.

"What can I do for ya boss? Miss ~~~?" he grinned. William slid his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

"Please return each of these forms to their respective administrators. Miss Collins has matters in the human realm to tend to as of today" he ordered. Ronald mock saluted and removed the pile from my desk. I tilted my head in confusion.

"Spears-senpai, what business do I have in the mortal realm?" I asked thoroughly confused. William turned to me calmly and answered quite simply.

"You have to retrieve your jacket. It's not very professional to be without the appropriate attire". Well then, there you have it. Off to London I guess.

It was late afternoon when I arrived in the countryside. I was wondering through the woods near the Phantomhive Estate. I could sense the demon and kid nearby along with others. Judging it to be the wisest course, I traveled in their direction using the trees to conceal me. I was getting closer when a shot was heard and a bullet whizzed past me. If I hadn't flexed backwards slightly, it would have shattered my shoulder blade.

Narrowing my eyes at the grazed tree trunk, I dropped to the floor and emerged from behind shrubbs. I stopped short upon having a gun aimed at my head. I glared threateningly at the middle-aged woman who held the other end of the rifle. Behind her was a table laid out with an exquisite lunch, the boy who was crouched to protect a blonde girl, the demon and a dead bear with a silver butter knife in its brain. I scrunched up my nose at the sight as the lady dropped the gun from my head.

"You!" the boy exclaimed jumping to his feet. The demon hunched slightly as if to threaten me. I spared him a glance and stepped forward so I was in plain view.

"Ciel! Is that how you greet every woman you encounter?" snapped the bitter woman. I smirked at her and curstied. She thought I was an English citizen, why not humour her.

"Begging your pardon. I have merely stopped by to retrieve an article I left behind me the other day. I did not mean to interrupt your luncheon" I announced as politely as possible. The boy exchanged glances with the demon.

"No harm done. It's refreshing to see someone with manners around here. We were just about to return to the mansion. Let's go" directed the noblewoman. There was no space for argument so everyone scrambled to obey her. She sent me several cold, judgemental glances. Being as exhausted as I felt, I was in no mood for this mortal's arrogance. I glared back at her everytime she met my gaze.

We began walking and the demon walked up next to me, carrying the deceased mammal.

"What are your intentions with my master?" whispered the demon over my shoulder so only I could here. It sent a shiver down my spine, how silky his voice sounded.

"Nothing that would disrupt your daily occurences, I assure you. I merely wish to retrieve my jacket as it is regarded to be a necessity by my superiors" I murmured back. I had to glance up to meet his gaze. He was a good foot taller than I. His eyes were tantalizing and it took everything in me not to stare. He, however, had no problem staring at me so as to figure out if I was lying or not.

"It's rude to stare" I growled. This took him by surpise. He looked away quickly but smirked. I rolled my eyes and allowed my eyes to wander throught the forest.

"Hey...over here butler. You forgot this" the noblewoman grunted.

"Oh? How careless of me to forget a piece of precious silver-ware...".

"You forgot it in the bear's head. It was you who struck it down, right? My bullets missed. With my daughter in danger, I had trouble aiming properly. I must be getting old. But a butler's duty is to save face on his master's behalf. So why did you let me win?" she spoke lowly so as not to be heard by the children. _Ah, so they were part taking in barbarious hunting before I arrived. Typical._

"The young master has an inordinate talent for games. Consequently, he seems to overconfidently believe that he 'cannot lose'. But at times, it will be necessary for him to carry himself with humility while striving for his goal, otherwise, he will eventually trip up as the place for which the young master aims is not easy to reach. Perhaps it is not my place to say this, but...I would like you to be an exemplar for my master marchioness" he explained thoughfully. I turned my head and studied the demon. _Interesting. He plays his part well. Whatever partnership they have built from their contract...it's intruiging! I want to know more strangely. But that's not very shinigami like! William-sama would have my head for thinking like this! _My expression must have seemed panicked as the demon sent me a curious glance. I snapped my head forward and rougued slightly. The fiend bit his lip as if to hold back a chuckle. The marchioness was more like a lioness as she squinted down at us.

"So...in other words you used me" she stated darkly.

"I did no such thing" defended the butler lightly. "My master is now but a 'child'...yet he is also the 'head of the family'. An 'adult' who will be firm with him...is just what the young master needs". I was watching him again._Why am I so drawn to him?_ I began mentally scolding myself. Red eyes met steely blue once more and so this time I stared blankly back at him. Our gazes didn't waver for a moment. It was like a silent challenge between us. First to falter loses. I was soon to be made victor though.

"Don't say such proper things with that lecherous face of yours" clipped the marchioness. The demon's face was priceless. He instantly blanched in horror and turned his attention to the floor. He was all but pouting.

"Do I really seem that way to you?" he mumbled. I giggled as quietly as I could. _It's so funny to see him act this way... and also quite adorable. Oh William is going to kill me!_ His mouth twitched slightly as I let a small giggle escape. The marchioness turned to glare at me.

"Like you're any better harlot". My head snapped to stare her down. _How dare she? Harlot! _I was seething and my fingers twitched to pull out my scythe.

"Excuse me? Do you have any foundations to base such an accusation?" I screeched. The noblewoman halted her horse and leered at me.

"I am no fool. You're here to retrieve your jacket. Your status simply can't be high enough for you to be an associate of my nephew as the butler never introduced your title. You're too old to be a friend to him, yet too young to hold any extreme power over a company of interest. That along with being a woman. Therefore, it must be this lecherous man you are in contact with. From the looks you two have been exchanging, it's clear you must be an outlet of his" she spat in disgust. I was horrified with what she just said. _She thinks I'm a prostitute?_ The demon finally burst into a manic fit of laughter.

"Madam, that is not the case. She is an acquaintance of the young master. She lent him her jacket during a rain spell a few days ago out of concern for his health" he said smoothly, sending me a devilish grin. My face felt so hot right now. I nodded and all but snarled at the woman.

"I believe an apology is in order".

"I'm sorry for making a false accusation. Thank you for your concern towards my future son-in-law" she huffet and urged her steed on. I was silent for the rest of the way back to the mansion. I could feel the curious glances of the children and butler as we proceeded but kept my gaze downcast. _William, why am I here again? _The marchioness cleared her throat as the mansion came into view.

"So if done for the sake of his master, a butler's duty includes admonishing said master by letting him get burned as necessary?" she tested.

"As I am merely a butler, I only did what I thought best for my master" was his cool reply.

"Hmph. You're a tricky fellow".

We entered the mansion only to be greeted with decorations and cake laid out by the servants. Turns out it was the young earl's thirteenth birthday today. I did my best to be a wall flower. I blended with the wall and stayed out of the way while everyone celebrated the young earl's ascension in age. I caught the demon's gaze and he motioned for me to follow him down a hallway. I followed him as far as a closet from which he pulled my trenchcoat.

"I believe this is what you came for. Please feel free to leave now" he said handing me the coat. I smiled and bowed respectfully.

"My thanks for minding it. And bid your 'master' a happy birthday on my behalf" I waved and made my way to the front door. I reached for the door knob when a hand slammed next to my head and a chest pushed up against my back. I took in a sharp breath and tensed.

"Allow me" he purred and pulled the door open for me. I stepped away from him and squinted suspiciously at him.

"What's your current alias demon?" I asked softly, despite my hard expression.

"Sebastian Michaelis. And yours?" he smirked mischievously.

"~~~ Collins" I replied and walked out of the mansion. I made my way back to the Shinigami realm without a backward glance, though my thoughts were back in the mansion with a certain butler.

I arrived at my desk and found only a few pages waiting to be filled out. I set to work at once and was finished soon after.

"Did you finish your errand?" William asked as he walked by.

"Yes sir" I called and watched him disappear out the door. Next, Ronald popped up and sat on my desk.

"~~~-chan! Me and a few of the boys are headed out to dinner. Wanna join us? We'll be having drinks after. Ladies go free" he winked flirtatiously. I laughed in good humour. What was one more late night? I could use some fun after today. Maybe it would get my mind back into my head and out of Phantomhive Manor.

"Sure thing Knox-kun. Let me grab my jacket".


	3. Auditions

**That Shinigami, Auditions.**

Weeks had gone by since Sutcliff-senpai's charade in the mortal higher ups settled on a temporary suspension as his punishment. Quite a fitting one if I do say so. But then again, what does my opinion matter? I rubbed my irritated eyes and shook out my wrists gently. With Greil's absence, William-sama was left with the obligation of filling in for his duties. Seeing as I'd already been dragged in on the whole ordeal anyway, he figured I wouldn't mind sharing Greil's load with him. Afterall, it meant I got more field work rather than paperwork. And luckily, since Ronald-kun cough kindly cough returned the papers to my other superiors the day after we retrieved Greil, I no longer received extra work from them.

I pushed the doors of the main building open. Light streamed in to blind all who passed by. The fresh air was welcoming in contrast to the musty office building smell. My nostrils expanded as I greedily sucked in the lightly scented air. Holding my head high, I strolled over to where I was to rendez-vous with William T Spears and plopped down on a low wall. We would be going to the mortal realm to blend with the crowd and scope the area. It was set that a massive ammount of souls were to be reaped in the days to come so we were to assist in the collection. Of course, this was on Greil's to-do list. I had just spent the last few hours completing as much of my work as possible. No doubt, William-san was doing the same, hence I beat him outside.

I wasn't waiting long for him thankfully. The doors shot open as he paced out. Catching my eye, he continued in the direction of the portal. Scrambling to my feet, I fell into step beside him and we disappeared in a bright light.

When the light faded, we were left standing in a field with tents. Confused at the sight, I glanced shyly at the strict man.

"Um...this is it?" I asked timidly. He merely glanced at me and walked forward. I followed on his heels and we entered the main tent. What was inside struck me with awe but I remembered not to let it show too much. Humans were everywhere, displaying certain physical skills and strengths. They walked about on top of coloured spheres, tip-toed across wire, juggled numerous objects, breathed fire, commanded mammals and threw utensils at targets. It was like a military training camp! What was this place?

"This is what they call a circus. It is a source of entertainment for mortals who can't achieve such feats" William murmured in my ear. "We will join this group and scope the area from this cover" he decided. I nodded helplessly and twirled around to take in everything again. It was amazing. And I was expected to blend in here? This would be easy peasy. Shinigami are already capable of these so-called feats so this would be like home. Less hiding our true potential. What an easy job this would be. Well, except for the alarming ammount of souls that we were to reap.

Finally, the ringmaster noticed myself and William standing there.

"Oi! 'Fraid ya can't be in 'ere folks. Show ain't for another couple o' days. Unless that is, yer lookin' to join the family?" he grinned and walked towrds us, arms opened wide. All the other entertainers ceased what they were doing and watched.

"Indeed mortal. We're here to join your orginisation for now. We shall assist you in pleasing the souls of your spectators" William bowed. I looked at William nervously. He was speaking waaaay to formally! The ringmaster quirked and eyebrow and somewhere, giggles erupted.

"Uhm, what he means is we want to join. We're really good at all this stuff" I gestured to the wires, spheres and throwing knives. "If it will add to the material for your show and add to the publics enjoyment then we'll happily provide our services on the condition that we may stay until we're ready to move on" I smiled, hoping he understood and bought in to what I had just said. Willaim eyed me dangerously from the corner of his eye. Probably thinks I overdid it...haaaah. The ringmaster laughed outrightly and threw his arms around us.

"Of course! Simply prove yer as good as you say and we'll be happy to have ya! I'm Joker by the way though that's just my ringname. If ye get in, I'll think of a ringname for ye too! Over there is..." and he introduced everyone present. I smiled and waved politely while William went straight to climbing a ladder and walking expertly across the wire with ease. Joker's eyes widened in amazement and he clapped delightedly.

"Yeah! All right! Yer in! How about you sweetheart?" he turned to grin at me. I smirked and picked up a set of throwing knives. With determination burning up inside me, I flicked my wrists quickly and out shot all the knives. Each one embedded itself dead on in the bullseye of a human cut-out. I straightened proudly and faced Joker. He nodded approvingly and clapped his hands grabbing everyone's attention.

"Brothers and sister, welcome to the family Suit and Kitten" he boomed, brimming with confidence and joy. William and I looked at each other briefly. _Suit and Kitten? Really? Those were to be our names? Hn. Mortals. _We faced the smiling faces and were engaged in many converations at once. I sweat dropped slightly. This was overwhelming.

Joker then showed us the other tents and warned us where we shouldn't enter. Places where the main stars had an exclusive tent to themselves and Snake's because of the vermin he let roam free there. We were to share a small tent for now he decided. With a few days of training, we'd eventually be part taking in a show and maybe even get a newer tent. This meant nothing to us as we expected we'd be gone soon. William was muttering all about this and the souls we would have to collect. Jokerlooked at him strangely while my mouth fell open in horror. Joker's head was turning to face me so I instantly changed my expression to laugh.

"Haha guess my friend there is a lil tired. Been a long day. Took us forever to get here and find ye! I think we'll go to sleep soon. Thank you for everything Joker. You have no idea what this means to us!" I rambled trying to make up for William-sama's mutterings of shinigami related business. Though he's my superior and idol, he's seriously making this hard! Joker smiled and surprised me with a firm hug.

"No problemo! What's family for eh?" he beamed. My face flushed slightly, which I blamed my being caught off guard for. Joker then bid us a goodnight and left for the exclusive tent. William lead the way to our tent and collapsed on the lower bunk. I sighed and hopped onto the upper one.

"Senpai, maybe you should try not to engage the mortals in too much conversation? You could make them suspicious of us and jeporadise our cover here" I groaned. It was silent for a while and I almost thought he had fallen asleep.

"Fine then _Kitten, _just make sure you reveal nothing to that mortal whom you seem to already be growing fond of" he huffed. I couldn't help but laugh. William T Spears just attempted to tease me! Oh this was too rich! When my laughing subsided, I rolled over and buried my head into the flat pillow.

"G'night senpai-kun" I whispered.

"Pleasant dreams" he muttered and blew out the candlelight.

Short, I know but eh feck it :P Things'll pick up soon ;)


	4. Training

**That Shinigami... Training.**

The next morning was a wholly new experience for us shinigami. We were called at an early hour to rouse ourselves and prepare the morning meal. Apparently it is the rules that 'newbies' do the cooking. We were given the position of cooking in the mornings. After burning some porridge and horrificly extracting juice from oranges, we had accomplished our task. Needless to say, we were more eager to get on with our physical activities.

We trailed after other members of the troupe to the training tent where Joker greeted us with an imploring grin.

"Well mates, how ye feelin'? Today we're gonna figure out what area ye'll be practicin' and performin' in. Any requests?" Joker smiled wolfishly at us. William and I exchanged glances before answering.

"Acrobatics" William spoke decisively.

"Animal tamer" I cheered with a fist pump.

"Excellent! Love yer attitude Kitten! Suit, you should be like her and ease up eh? We're family now afterall" Joker smiled gently. "Right-oh! Suit, follow Dagger over there and 'e'll get ya started. Kitten, you follow Beast 'nd find yerself a feline to tame" he winked at me before turning on his heel and wandering off to aid others.

"Oi! Don't just stand there in a daze! Get yer ass over 'ere" screamed the 'pleasant' female known as 'Beast'. Refraining from cursing under my breath, I followed her around to a different tent further down the line. Inside was various cages containing all sorts of animals. She continued through the maze until we came to a section with felines. She stopped by a cage which held a strong looking tiger.

"This here is Betty. She's my main animal to work with. I have her trained to roar, jump, pose and obey commands. Joker says you can pick an animal you want to work with and you'll have to train hard with 'em if you want to appear in the show. You'll see what it's like for us animal tamers tonight" she sniffed snootily. My eye twitched viciously as she spoke down to me. Sucking in a deep breath, I smiled tightly.

"Of course. Thank you for your guidance" I bowed. "Now then" I murmured scanning the cages until two yellow eyes caught my attention. I felt hypnotised from staring back at them and wandered over to a medium sized, green cage. A gorgeous panther sized me up, and I did so too. It was an impressive stature, reaching to my solar plexus, with a glossy jet black coat. It's eyes shun like pirate coins in direct sunlight. Without turning, I called out for Beast.

"Oh that? That's Boo. He's new to the circus like you. He's about four years old. You sure ya wanna work with him?" she gaped uncertainly. Clearly she expected me to work with a more experienced animal.

"No, he's perfect. This way he's young and ready to both learn and respect me" I smiled reaching out to allow Boo to sniff my hand. He did so cautiously before releasing a low growl of curiosity. My eyes gleamed with delight. So he could sense I wasn't like other mortals. _Animals really are more intelligent than those who rule them._

I spent the rest of the afternoon with Boo. Beast had taken Betty to a secluded ring earlier to prepare for the show that would take place that evening. I sat cross legged by the bars to Boo's cage. I was allowing him to get comfortable in my presense before making a move to invade his territory. I rambled nonsense in hopes that he would come to recognise my voice. I was exhausted by supper time and rose to my feet. Boo lifted his head from his paws where he was sprawled ears pricked keenly at the sound of my footsteps echoing further and further away from him. He sprang up and began to pace the perimeter of his cage as I disappeared out of sight, leaving the flaps of the tent to billow in the evening breeze.

I made my way to the tent where members of the troupe ate. Where food had been laid out only moments prior, now only a few scraps of potato and vegetables were left. _Scavengers_. I grabbed a plate and picked out a few boiled vegeteables before finding a seat next to William-senpai. We were silent as we picked at the questionable meal.

"So how was acrobatics?" I asked. William-sama sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Humans are hopeless. How were things with you?" he adjusted his specs.

"Can't complain. I'm working with a panther" I shrugged. It was silent then until the moratls around us began to get excited and lively.

"Looks like the evening show is soon to be under way" concluded William. We rose and exited the tent. Then he disappeared to Kami knows where. I snuck off to the performance tent and glanced inside curiously. The place was flooded with a grand audience, there for the opening of the troupes programme. Suddenly a hand grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back.

"Sorry but if ye want to be part of the show, ye better train Boo hard. I have faith in ya" it was Joker.

"Ah! Sorry! I'll get right on it. Best of luck with tonight" I smiled and made to head towards the animal tent.

"Hang on, I just gotta ask you. What was yours and Suits job before ye found us, Kitten? Yer both great at what ye do! Don't get me wrong...its just.." he searched for words and I paniced on the inside. _William-senpai was acting suspicious again wasn't he! _Thinking fast, I interupted Joker's thinking.

"We were workers in the city! We managed a fine establishment. Nothing more. Please we prefer not to dwell much on our past. Things were a lil rough on us for a while if ya know what I mean" I said, feigning sadness. He seemed reluctant but sighed and rested a hand on my shoulder.

"Sorry for askin' so forcefully Kitten. Just was curious is all. Suit suuure is strange though. Kinda morbid for a guy who sticks around you" he grinned. I blanched and fought to keep tingles from running up my spine. My inner self cried with anime tears. _William-senpai!_

"Well you better get goin'. I'll go train with Boo" I smiled with a wave as I turned and jogged in the opposite direction to him. What I didn't notice was Joker's grin drop into a suspicious frown once more after I turned my back to him. He's smarter than he looks and wasn't sure if allowing myself and William-sama be in close contact with each other and no one else was a good idea.

From the animals' tent I could hear the audience in awe and wonder of the troupe. Turning my attention to the latch before me, I eased back the bolt and let myself into the cage before locking it up again. Yellow eyes glittered in the shadows and bobbed back and forth at the other end of the cuboid. I simply stood there and gazed at the floor, a neutral stance to show I wasn't a threat yet wasn't submissive to his power. Lost in thought I began to wonder about the mission. _What does it have to do with the circus? How many and who will we be reaping? _

Reality struck when hinges creaked on the other side of the tent and Beast guided Betty out of the cage. She cracked a lunging whip at the jungle cat and together they made haste for the main tent. Looking back to Boo, he had calmed and was sitting on his hind end now, waiting patiently for me to do something. I approached him slowly and quietly. I once again allowed him to sniff my hand and petted him. He purred with delight and rolled down onto his back in submission. I smiled and scratched his belly. _This could be fun_.

I changed by body language. Standing tall, I demanded Boo get to his feet. Alarmed, he sprang up and put some distance between us. Smiling I reached a hand out for him to assure him I wasn't on the offensive. I then began to teach him commands such as sit, paw, lie down, roar and pounce. Soon I was playing cat and mouse with him in the confined space. Our game was brought to an end, however, when Beast and Betty burst in.

"Bad Betty! How dare you do that! Do ya know how much trouble we could be in after a stunt like that?" cried Beast as she cracked the whip down on Betty's hind. I flinched and Boo seemed to cower behind my legs. He trembled with each flick of Beast's wrist. When she had finished, she locked the cage and ran out, huffing and puffing furiously. Stunned, I regarded vicous red lines breaking out on the tiger's rump. I growled. _Humans. How vile._

I was making my way back to the tent when I spotted Joker leading the demon, Sebastian Michaelis, into the main cast's tent. Shocked and speechless, I instinctively pressed my back to the wall of a tent and crept closer. I strained my ears and listened closely to what was being said inside. Apparently, Betty had bit his head? I tilted my head in confusion. _How odd...and ridiculous...but it explains a lot._When all was said and done, it somehow ended up that the demon would be joining the circus on the morrow with someone else. _He's hardly abandoning the earl's soul. Perhaps the both of them are inquiring for a case? Could our missions once again cross paths? What is going on? _My head spun with questions. Making sure not to be seen, I finally made it to mine and William-senpai's tent. Inside, he sat on his cot, flicking through a detailed folder on, what I presumed to be, the mission.

"William-sama, what are the details of this mission? What's so special about this circus and the cast? Why are we here? Who are we to reap?" I babbled out my demands with newfound energy and curiosity. Usually I just went with the flow but now, I couldn't help myself. There was no holding back. Snapping the folder shut, he placed it under his pillow and stared me down.

"If you must know, Collins-san, we are here to examine the souls of the main cast. They believe themselves to be the children of Baron Kelvin, a despicable mortal who in an attempt to be youthful and attractive, has undergone many surgerys and used this circus to kidnap children. In turn, these children are killed in distasteful humour or killed and their bones are hence used by a man called Doctor, who used them to create prosthetics for the main cast members. We are judging their souls as is our duty and in a few days they will each be murdered in various ways. Mainly, fire. I will be calling for back up if I find this task to be troublesome. Satisfied?" he finished, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. I nodded tiredly, and tried to process all I had just been told.

"Wait...they use children's bones to make prosthetics?!" I gasped. There are twisted people out there, that was nothing new. This, however, was a new horror altogether. _What kind of sick person does that?!_ I blinked. William sighed and nodded.

"There's something else that concerns me" he continued. I gestured for him to include me in his thoughts. "One of the locations where the reapings will take place is in the Phantomhive Manor" he seemed to growl. I froze and felt my heart pound, oddly enough. _Perhaps I'm as concerned as he is about this discovery? _William drifted off into his own little world and was clearly not to be distracted. Finding nothing else better to do, I climbed into my cot and closed my eyes to embrace a dreamless sleep. _Senpai is gonna flip if that demon keeps his word and returns tomorrow._


	5. Awkward Arrangements

**That Shinigami...Awkward Arrangements.**

The next morning was crisp and chilly. Like clockwork, senpai and I awoke at the crack of dawn and prepared ourselves for the day. We made our way to the make shift kitchen and aided the other 'newbies' in making scrambled eggs and toast. A much simpler meal to prepare than yesterdays thankfully. We helped ourselves to a serving as the tent filled with hungry cast members and everyone scoffed the food with hardly a modest chew. Repulsive but who were we shinigami to judge these beings? It's their souls and lives we judge, not their manners (thankfully).

When everyone had finished eating, they seemed to rush off. William's head snapped up and he grew tense. He seemed to twitch and convulse violently before rushing off to 'begin practice'. That left me to clean up the mess hall. Alone. After a hundred cast members. I bowed by head and allowed my bangs to cover my expression as I seethed with anger. _I swear if he weren't my senpai, why I oughta! RAWR! *Activate lasers and fire!*_

I sighed with relief and wiped sweat from my brow after scrubbing the place clean. I vowed never again to get caught doing the clean up alone again. _I'm such a push over! _I pouted miserably making my way outside to some fresh air. Well, as fresh as a maze of tents filled with preservatives, animals and excretement can smell. A crowd was gathered off to the left. Seems people were playing spectator for the newcomerswho were throwing knives for Dagger to judge. It was quite a large gathering and it was clear as day I wouldn't get a closer look through peaceful methods. Shrugging, I decided to train with Boo. _It's not like I'm avoiding meeting the newcomers right? Cos there's no way I know them, right? Right! _I assured myself half-heartedly.

Entering the animalia tent, I was delighted when Boo greeted me with a strong roar. I felt a swelling of pride burst inside of me. _Panther's rock! _I jumped happily and petted Boo upon entering his cage. No fearing each other now. We had bonded all day yesterday and now have a clear understanding of each other. I commenced revising yesterday's work and made sure he had everything down to a T. _Funny how my job, first and foremost, is to reap souls and yet here I am, training a panther to entertain humans. _Growing bored of cheap, tame tricks, I found it best to teach Boo commands of attack. This took quite some time and effort, as I had to first make sure he understood not to follow through with ripping me to shreds, yet to attack as directed. By late into the afternoon, Boo could now obey the commands 'tackle', 'swipe' and 'pin'. Nothing too violent so far.

We were taking a break when Dagger entered the tent and came over to the cage.

"Kitten, there ya are! Got a message from Joker fer ya. Seein' as yerself and Suit are close but new to de family, he thinks its best ya mingle with others. So yer bein' given a new tent to stay in and Suit'll be de same. He wants ya to meet 'im in Tent B. ASAP". I nodded and thanked Dagger. Not having a clue where Tent B was, I figured I'd best hurry and wander around until I found it. With that, I rushed outside like a fish out of water.

I was surprised at how dark it had gotten. The night was bitterly cold even though it was supposed to be spring. By now, cast members were enjoying their late supper and finishing up their training for the day. The grass was already developing beads of dew as my feet passed over the grounds, searching for the infamous and elusive Tent B. I had been searching for a full 5 minutes to no avail. _Why isn't there a label or a sign?!_ I huffed and stamped around in a circle. At that very moment, my ears picked up on a farmilliar voice and I crept closer while listening keenly.

"-we will judge a large number of souls in this is a special case, so please refrain from interfering". It was William who spoke. I peeped around the corner and approached, remaining unnoticed by himself and the figure with whom he was addressing. Sebastian Michaelis.

"My goodness. That must be quite a chore to handle , a large number of souls... shall I lend you a hand?" the demon goaded. At this point, I was but five feet behind the demon and screeched while ducking to avoid William's death scythe, which just barely skimmed past the devil's cheek. Both males finally took notice of my presense and moved so that now we stood in a perfect triangle.

"I refuse to work overtime free of charge. I will hunt you down if you get in my way" warned William in a menacing tone. My jaw nearly hit the floor.

"Sure no problem Senpai. I forgive you for nearly taking my head off. Please no need to apologise" I imitated sarcastically to myself. William glared in my general direction, which was enough to bring me to my senses and shut up. William retracted his scythe and Sebastian smirked while smoothly retrieving his top hat (which though I wouldn't admit it, I was jealous of).

"Well, I myself have no desire to be involved with grim reapers either. I am not interested in second rate souls afterall" he winked at me though I stared back blankly. _Something about this case is seriously messing with my brain. Can't think or act straight_ I sulked to myself. Then the Earl Phantomhive himself stepped out from a stack of crates.

"Hey! That noisy knife thrower is looking for you" he said confidently in mine and William's direction. We now stood in pairs facing each other. Shinigami against demon and his claimed soul.

"He doesn't seem that high quality to me...I truly don't understand you devils..." William-sama openly insulted Ciel. I sweat dropped as Ciel clenched his fists furiously.

"Stop calling Sebastian that. What are you going to do about it if the troupe members get suspicious? We were lucky they thought you were joking before, but...the fact that you can't blend in among people makes you lower than that vulgar reaper" Ciel said with authority and scorn. William, for the second time today, twitched violently when being compared to Sutcliff-sama. I whined and threw my hands over my eyes upon hearing of his lack of blending in skills.

"Didn't I tell you not to talk to anyone anymore or you'll blow our cover? Senpai you really are useless sometimes" my voice sounded tired and exasperated. My superior seemed ready to slap me once my seemingly incessant whining had finished and I refocused on the two before us.

"Ho, so this isn't a recent development. Still, as we will not get in the way of your duties...we hope that you two will not get in the way of ours" the demon reasoned quite generously.

"Seems reasonable enough. You have a deal" I grinned childishly.

"Thank you. I do not even want you in my field of vision" William-sama pronounced every syllable sharply as if with purpose.

"Perfect. It's settled then. We agree not to interfere with each other at all" Ciel confirmed. The atmosphere was intense and sparks seemed to fly dangerously between both sides. I merely gave a lop-sided smile and awkwardly looked to the sky. _This is too much. Are all shinigami this extreme when it comes to demons? I mean, Greil-kun is already in a league of his own and doesn't exactly count. But William-kun treats it way to seriously. Why? _I wondered.

"Right then. Smile" continued Will-kun, "I'm counting on you to hold your dog's lead tight".

"I don't want to hear it from Specs or Ginger who can't even manage a covert investigation properly" sneered the young earl.

" I am not Specs. I am suit" was his curt reply.

"And I am not Ginger" I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

"Like it matters. Come on Sebastian" the young lord turned and left.

"Yes sir" Sebastian followed without a second glance.

I trailed behind William for a bit until we finally arrived Tent B. It was located on the only side of the circus I had yet to check. _Figures. It's always the last place you look _I scowled. Today just wasn't my day. We entered on time to hear Joker announcing the tent arrangements.

"So then, Beast can share with Kitten" he cheered. Beast glared heatedly at me while I almost keeled over with despair. _Today REALLY isn't going my way! _I looked to William for help but his expression said to 'just go with it, there's nothing we can do under the circumstances and it's temporary, afterall'. I tuned back in right as Ciel-err... Smile had an outburst.

"Really I think I should be with Black-" he was cut off by Joker.

"And Black's roomate is Suit" he finished triumphantly. _Oh que the stroke of lightening _I groaned as tension instantly became apparent between the two. _Things can't get much worse now can they? _Joker and Dagger smiled and, well, Smile about how Suit and Black were 'friends'. A shiver ran up my spine at that misconception. _Oh the irony! _They then bid us a good night and disappeared. Beast stormed off as well without another word. _Good riddance. I'm not going to the tent until absolutely necessary _I thought biting my tongue.

"This is the worst" William stated, fiddling with his specs.

"My thoughts exactly" returned Sebastian with a grimace.

"Nice to meetcha Smile" a boyish girl greeted.

"...Right" he hesitated to shake hands. Well. Things were about to get interesting...and awkward.

I walked with William and Sebastian towards their tent. I walked between the two as a buffer to ensure they wouldn't rip out each others' throats. To continue making plans for the mission, William instructed me to meet with him at night, just before lights. Simple enough, as I doubt my new room mate will miss me much. Sigh. How upsetting...not.

Sebastian was silent during the walk though I could tell he was listening. It was quiet and awkward for a time when he decided to speak up.

"Kitten, that is your ring name, Collins-san?" he smiled darkly. Not sure where this was going, I gave a questioning 'yes' as a reply. He merely chuckled creepily to himself and looked ahead. I edged my way to walk closer to William.

Turning the corner, I found my new accomodation a few feet away. Bidding the two a goodnight, I scurried away to my new personal hell. Inside, Beast was already snoring comfortably. A line with costumes hung across one side of the tent. At the end of Beast's bed lay a heavy looking chest, closed of course. On the other side was a bare, small bed which I presumed was for me. Even though I was now sharing with a member of the main cast, I was still stuck with underclass miscalleanous. I smirked at the thought. _Humans are so amusing_ I thought snuggling down to rest.


	6. Performance

**That Shinigami...Performs.**

When I awoke, it took a moment for me to realise where I was._ Sharing a tent with that vixen. Oh how endearing. _I roused myself and got dressed into my mortal clothes. It was a nice bright morning outside, albeit there was a bit of bite to the air. I followed the line of tents towards the mess hall. Along the way, I joined up with William-sama and Sebastian-san. Sebastian strode ahead while William hung back to talk in a hushed tone. Dark circles had formed under his eyes, and his expression was more irritable than usual.

"How are you this morning, William-senpai?" I asked politely.

"Damn demon. Doesn't understand that we shinigami need sleep" he cursed violently.

"He kept you up? He doesn't seem to be THAT engaging senpai" I gaped. _They hardly spoke all night with each other. Or worse...they don't look as though they had a scuffle._

"Don't be ridiculous, Collins-chan. As you are aware, demons don't necessarily need sleep. He attempted to roam free at night, which I could not allow under shinigami regulations" he sighed. _You mean YOUR shinigami pride? _I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, I will infiltrate the main troupe's tents during breakfast and collect the final data for our investigation. Later tonight, we shall revise that data and hopefully by tomorrow, we will be liberated from this undercover work. Just go about activities as per usual while I keep an eye on that demon when possible" he ordered under his breath before ducking through various tents for coverage. Having received my orders, I entered the kitchen tent.

Already, mortals were busy peeling vegetables and slicing fillets of meat. Finding Jumbo, he was talking to Sebastian, who was instructing everyone on how to prepare meat pies and battered fish. Brushing past teens, I tapped him on the shoulder.

"I presume your skills as a butler has left you in charge of the circus' food menu?" I bit back a laugh. How quick and desperately mortals could make up or change their minds was sure to be their undoing at some point. He smiled and nodded.

"Indeed. It appears my expertise is to be taken advantage of. Here to lend a hand, I assume?".

"Quite".

"Then please, could you prepare some bread?" he grinned. _Hmm, he certainly is a natural in playing the role of a mortal. I've got to give him credit for that. He has me fooled. _Clasping my hands together, I snatched up some yeast, flour, olive oil, water and sesame seeds. I began to mix the ingredients in a suitable ratio to form a dough, which I then kneaded and folded. Taking a knife, I expertly cut the dough into even portions and rolled them into round disks. _Thank Kami, baking is the only form of culinary I can accomplish perfectly. Ah, how I love the smell of warm bread _I smiled with my eyes closed as I pushed a batch into a stone oven. By stone oven, I mean a rock theat was in the centre of the field with space underneath where someone had set up a fire. _How resourceful._ After 20 minutes, the dough disks had risen into what resembled pita or naan bread. The smell was mouthwatering. Using a thick cloth, I pulled the tray out and slid the bread onto a plate before serving.

"So shinigamican cook? I'm impressed. I even took time to perfect bread making" said a deep voice in my ear,scaring me half to death. Out of reflex, I turned with my fist raised to punch the culprit. I stopped myself just an inch from the demon's cheekbone. His eyes widened slightly in shock at how quickly I had reacted and halted my actions. I took a calming breath and straightened up with a faint smile.

"Thanks for the compliment?" I offered grabbing a piece of bread for myself and walked outside, leaving him to watch my retreating back carefully.

Tearing the starchy treat into pieces, I ate as I made my way to Boo. He was still asleep when I arrived. His bowl had no food in it so I brought it to the nearest crate and grabbed a generous portion of cow carcass for him. When I placed the bowl on the floor, his nose twitched at the smell. Slowly, his dark eyelids opened, revealing his magnificent yellow eyes. He yawned, rolling his long purple-pink tongue for the world to see before heaving to his feet and stretching.

"Wow someone's not a morning person" I laughed, sliding to the ground with my back against the bars. Boo merely shook his body and dove into his food. I laughed outrighr even more. _Sloth and a glutton. How sinfully cute! _I mused in content.

After he had eaten, we went over everything we had been practicing. Sensing someone nearby, I commanded Boo to cease his pouncing and sit by my side. He did so faithfully which I rewarded with an ear tail swished with delight. Joker stepped out of the shadows, grinning broadly.

"Kitten, yer amazin'! Just look at the fella, he's almost human" he chortled. "I was gonna wait 'til I was sure Beast wouldn't get overly jealous, but whaddya say you become our permanent substitute animal tamer?" he proposed extending his skeletal hand. I glanced at Boo and appeared to be in thought. _That's right, we're supposed to be gone tomorrow. Wow, I'm gonna miss this guy. Hmmm best make the best of it._ I smiled and shook Joker's hand entusiastically.

"I'd be honoured!".

"Great! Then I'll leave it to you to get a costume and paint job fer the show tonight" he clapped and walked off again without room for questioning. I was stunned. _A costme? And for tonight? EEP! _I gave Boo a farewell pat and rushed outside. I ran behind various tents looking at a variety of crates. None contained costumes or fabric, to my dismay.

I emerged from behind a red tent, only to find I'd reached the shower area. The scenebefore me was confusing at first. Mortals were in only towels or under garments with basins of cold water and bars of soap. _They must be chilly _I surmised with a raised brow. They were all watching the boyish girl and Smile though, who appeared to have tripped and managed to soak themselves from head to girl pulled up Smile's shirt out of concern for his health. This revealed a nasty scar on the young boy's skin. It was a crest of somesort which he had been branded with. Humiliated, he threw the girl from him and ran off through the tents to my left. Murmurs and whispers of puzzlement broke out among the others. Sebastian, or rather, Black was delivering a fresh stack of towels at that moment and witnessed the scene in silence. Not wanting to be caught gaping at half-naked mortals, I turned back to the crates I was beside. Lifting the lid, I was let down once more. _Where am I to find a costume?! _I kicked at the grass. Nothing but plain shirts and wretched trousers. I paused and looked behind me. Black was distributing towels among the humans and had one towel left. With a compassionate conscience about me, I grabbed a clean shirt and the best pair of trousers I could obtain from the crate. Stepping into the bathing area, I made my way in front of the demon who gave a sly smile.

"Here to wash up?" he jeered.

"Nonsense. If anything needs to be cleansed, it's you" I retorted pushing the clothing on top of the final towel. "Best make sure he doesn't catch a cold, no?" I said with a meaningful glance. He seemed to be taken aback. His eyes widened slightly and his jaw slackened. A secretive smile crept onto his face and he dipped his head to me.

"My thanks" he breathed and headed in the self same direction as his 'bochan'.

It was time for the show. I had finally found an outfit to wear in a crate by Snake's tent. It consisted of dark blue pans and halter top with silver smeared over the hems. My hair was tied back into a pony tail. My make-up was painted on by Dagger who was only to eager to paint my face for me. He made my face paler than it was already, darkened the rims of my eyes with charcoal and painted cat prints leading from my jawline up into the corner of my eyes. To finish, my lips were glossed with a blue balm. If I may say so, he was more artistic and creative with his work that Greil Sutcliff...please don't tell senpai that!

I sat patiently on a bale of hay just out of sight from the audience. Brother Peter and and Wendy sat with me and we watched each act enter and perform. The crowd loved every minute and each member of the troupe had their moment of fame. Joker came and stood by us as Dagger's act was coming to a close.

"Where's Beast wiv Betty?" he asked anxiously. Doll suddenly ran in.

"She's freakin' out about findin' her favourite top, Joker. Any chance ye can send on Black and Suit now?".

"No, there's no sign of Black so Suit can't go on without 'im. Hey Kitten, ye can go out and stall until our primadonna's ready" Jumbo gave a toothy smile. I looked to Joker who seemed to approve and shooed me away to get Boo. _Well this is his and my first performance...in front of people...pray this goes well _I paniced introvertly. I opened Boo's cage and walked out of the tent. Thankfully, he followed at my side like an obedient shadow. His eyes were cautious and alert. Every new change of scenery was like forbidden territory to him. I spoke gentle, soft words of encouragement as we made our way to the main canvas. We arrived just as Joker announced us to the audience. _Well here it goes._

Boo and I entered the ring. Hot lights shone down on us as we came to a stop in the centre of the ring. With my uniquely coloured shinigami eyes, (remember hers are blue where green, silver where yellow btw) I could clearly distinguish each mortal in the crowd, though they stung from the intense lighting. Curious, filthy faces of street urchins watched from the front rows. Beady eyes of the upperclassmen scrutinised the inner ring action from the rear. Boo patiently focused all his attention on me, though the nervous flicking and whining did not go unnoticed by me.

With a confident smile, I squared my shoulders with Boo's and let out a cry. Instinctively and as practiced, Boo moved and began to circle me. Ignoring the crowd, I completely focused on Boo and nothing else. I didn't hear the exclaimations of my lack of safety equipment or lunging whip. I also failed to notice a pair of glowing, excited ambrosia eyes keenly watching me...and Boo of course { :P guess who? }

"Hup" I commanded pointing to the barrier. Boo gathered onto his haunches and launched himself delicately onto the narrow wall of the ring. The audience gasped as the 'dangerous animal' was now only inches away. Dagger paniced from the sidelines, terrified that the young panther would act as Betty had in the previous show. Joker, however, held out an arm to stop him. Wendy hugged Peter fiercely, begging him to tell her when it was over. I never felt more proud of Boo in these moments. He didn't even bat an eyelid at the crowd. His soft eyes watched me, prompting me to give him his next command. It was clear that like me, he was having fun. _Then it'd certain. No worries anymore. _I beamed with pride and joy.

"Sit", he sat on the wall.

"Up", he rose onto his hind legs.

"Paw", he held up his massive claw as if to highfive a bear.

"Sit", back to sit. I then ran boldly towards him.

"Pounce" Boo leapt at me. Screams of horror rang out. Kids wailed, thinking Boo would bite my head off. With preternatural skill, I expertly slid on my knees under Boo's body and stood by the wall where he once was. Boo landed near to the center point and turned back to focus on me. From the edge, I could see Beast arrive with Betty. Nodding, I decided what to do for our finale. I assumed a composed stance and walked infront of Boo. I opened my arms to welcome him.

"Gimme some love" I screamed loud enough for everyone to hear. Boo roared and once again rose on his back legs. This time, he place his front paws on my shoulders and proceeded to give me a wet panther kiss. I giggled madly and staggered to hold his weight. Any mortal would be crushed, so I had to pretend his weight was a hindrance to me. I allowed my knees to buckle and fell onto my back. Boo was shocked as I always held his weight in practice. His eyes seemed to panic and he was about to jump off me. I grabbed his ear.

"Pin" I commanded. He understood and remained pinning me to the floor with his body. It was then that my surroundings reappeared in my vision. The audience was wild with applause. I was shocked at how loud and noisy mortals could be. Wolf whistles were being drowned out by the thunderous clapping and whoops of children. I patted Boo affectionately and he moved to let me up. I waved to the crowd as we made a beeline for the exit. Joker passed me and gave me a clap on the back. He announced Beast next as I appeared backstage. I was met with members coming to congratulate me and compliment Boo's performance. Beast glared openly in our direction as herself and Betty walked towards the ring. I smirked with satisfaction. _Pffft. Who needs animal cruelty? _I thought happily cuddling Boo's head.

I brought Boo outside to wait for the encore where we merely had to go out an bow for the audience one final time. I decided to try spend that time teaching Boo how to bow. He was tired though and clearly wouldn't be taking it in anytime soon. Sighing, I plopped down next to his prostrate form and scratched behind his ear. _Beast is getting a good reaction from the crowd by the sounds of things. _Footfalls on grass crept up beside me. I turned to see Black, dressed to perform. His eyes were fixated on Boo. He had a creepy expression as he examined the panther. _...rape face?! {LOL Joke}._

"My my, what lovely eyes you have...such a sleek, soft coat...ah, you are truly beautiful" he admired, rubbing Boo's ears between him fingers. Getting an idea, I smiled as Boo's fur bristled and he watched the demon with protective caution.

"Boo, tackle!" I whispered. Like a true predator, Boo knocked the demon off his feet and stood proudly on his chest. Sebastian did nothing but smile in adoration.

"An elegant hunter...he did that with grace. It's nice to see a cat treated and trained with care and respect" he commented to me. I whistled for Boo to retreat to my side swiftly. Sebastian sat up and we had a bit of a stare off. It was weird. I was simply watching him out of curiosity, Boo guarded me but was passive overall. Sebastian's gaze flickered between the two of us. Appreciatively at Boo and at me, like he was trying to solve a difficult equation. Our stare off was cut short when Peter came running out.

"Black! Yer on now wiv Suit!" he hollered frantically. Stooping to his feet, Black disappeared to perform. I looked questioningly at Boo like he could solve any mystery. _What just happened?_

As it was cold, I didn't want Boo to get sick so I walked around with him for a while. His obedience was apparent so there was no fretting over him feasting on troupe members. We hadn't been walking long when Beast was spotted entering our tent with a large sheet wrapped around her. Curious, I paused to watch. Not sooner had she turned to enter than Sebastian, almost invisibly, snuck under the tent wall out of sight. Thoroughly alarmed, I waited a minute longer before heading over. Just as I came to the tent entrance, she swooped out, dressed in a new costume top. Realising I was infront of her, her expression became sour and she bumped shoulders with me as she walked by. I squinted and took a deep breath. It was time for the encore so I looked to Boo who was snarling after Beast. With a triumphant grin, I rubbed the length of his body.

"Thaaat's right. Hate the bitch" I cooed. Taking a quick glance inside our tent, I spotted the demon helping his master out of Beast's chest. _Investigation work. Now I get it. _I nodded and made my way back for the encore.

After the encore, Sebastian once again rushed off to do Kami knows what the earl ordered.

"He must be dyin' for a piss or summat? That does happens" laughed Dagger. I wrinkled my nose in disgust and chanced a glance at William. He looked mighty suspicious and whispered for me to meet him at his tent. I sauntered off to the animal's tent to put Boo to bed. As he lay on the straw, I felt mournful. _I probably won't see him after this. Shinigami can't exactly keep pets _I frowned and humoured the thought of telling Will I was adopting a new work partner. It almost made me smile. Almost. I caressed Boo's big, clumsy head one last time before silently bidding him farewell as his eyes slid shut to slumber.

Back in William-sama's tent, I sat on the bed and read data over his shoulder. Sebastian came in soon after and simply stood there. I cast him a curious glance. He simply smiled and I went back to analysing the information. It seems there hasn't been any redeeming qualities about the cast members that would give rise to their survival benefiting mankind in the future. _Oh well. Guess they'll all have to be reaped for good. _Soon the tent flap was ripped aside and Ciel stepped in. He spoke rapidly with Sebastian. I ignored him and continued to read like any professional. We weren't to interfere with each other afterall. I was surprised when William snapped his scythe at the earl's feet, causing Ciel-chan to jump and me to fall off the bed. _So much for being a professional _I twitched as William cast me a disapproving look while addressing Ciel.

"You there. You're three centimeters inside my territory" he scolded. "It is clear neither of you are able to observe the lines we have drawn. I see the dog takes after its master" he challenged. Ciel coughed and seemed both irritated and weak.

"Sebastian, let's take this outside" he huffed walking outside with his butler. William sighed tiredly and snapped the data book shut.

"We should be able to pull out of the troupe by tomorrow afternoon. During breakfast would be the most opportune time to pull out" he confided. I nodded.

"Of course senpai. What is the plan after that?" I prompted. I was eager to get this mission over with and go home for a long bath. Perhaps I'd even arrange to go out with Ronald and other colleagues from my hummed and looked at me, quite suddenly as if I'd slapped him.

"Do you plan on staying on the floor all night?" he mused. Blushing, I laughed and jumped to my feet.

"Ha...ha...ha good one senpai" I joked half heartedly. William-sama became stern once more. I pouted. _He's fun when he's sociable! Why does he have to ruin it with principle...then again it's key to promotion and sucess...Oh how I admire his commitment. Must be more like him!_ I scolded myself. I was supposed to take after Spears-senpai, not criticize him. _What's happening to me?!_

"Collins-san, I'm going to warn you ahead of the time, for I fear I'll be forced to do this" William began. His tone had me on high alert that this was going to be important. "I don't like nor do I trust that demon. While he claims to swear loyalty to that brat, I doubt even he can refrain from devouring on other souls. He's a ravenous beast. So, if I'm forced to, I'll assign you with the responsibility of supervising and preventing that demon from claiming innocent souls until I'm satisfied his leash is taut. Understood?" he asked, though it seemed rhethorical. I nodded slowly.

"Hai. Konbanwa senpai" I whispered, taking my leave.

GAH! I'm back to school tomorrow! So I'm trying to write AS MUCH as POSSIBLE o

Please continue to give me feedback. Makes me very happy be it good, bad, silly, crazy. Each makes me feel fuzzy :P


	7. Assignation

**That Shinigami...Assignation.**

I was just about to fall asleep when a hand covered my mouth and shook me awake. William-san stood over me and motioned for me to follow him outside. He was still in his pyjamas which made me want to laugh...but that'd be the moon calling the clouds inconsistent.

"I knew it. That demon hasn't returned and I heard from others that the Smile brat suffered an asthma attack. We've got to find that devil" he hissed. I quickly slipped back into my tent, slid on a pair of pants under my oversized shirt {sloooob} and grabbed my dueling blades.

William and I encountered the demon outside the medical tent, as I had guessed. _Psh, and he wanted to check the infant's tent _I mocked. While the demon seemed off guard, William-sama took the offensive and extended his scythe. Just barely on time, Sebastian managed to dodge and perform a handspring.

"And where do you think you're going? I have told you not to wander around without your owner" William confronted him. I stepped up beside him, hands ready to draw and split my swords if needed.

"Unfortunately, my master is confined to his bed, so I am running an errand in his stead" Sebastian tsked.

"I will not allow any exceptions. Return to the tent at once. I cannot have you acting independently until my judgement is complete. The most seemingly insignificant error can lead to lengthy overtime" Wiliam exploded with rage. My face blanked and my eyes became saucers. _Wow overtime sucks and I hate it as much as the next person but...gosh mental note not to stress or piss Spears-san off in the future._

"I beg your pardon. However, I too have my duties as a butler to see to. I cannot allow you to disturb my master's sleep. And you two do not really wish to make a scene here. What do ye say we make a deal? If you let me free for just one hour, I shall vow to never devour a single soul in the districts that either of you supervise hereafter. I am only asking for one hour. How about it?" the silver tongue of the devil ventured. It was close to swaying me but, of course, William-sama had thought me better. And sure enough, he stuck to his aesthetics.

"We refuse! You sway your prey with sweet words, all the while dragging them into the darkness. You devils are so good at it that, it's practically a cliche! Good grief!" William was past all frustration at this point. He stood firm and dangerously angsty. Sebastian sighed and removed a bloody glove from his hand. It was only nowthat I noticed, William's scythe had pierced his hand previously.

"So you refuse me in the end. Very well. I shall have to think of something else then" he leered evilly. "How about, I stay and fulfill my errands within these grounds. You can rest easy as your weariness is as clear as day to me. In return, my master and I shall take our leave first thing tomorrow, leaving you to do your job in peace" he reasoned. William was about to rant again but paused to look at me. Sebastian saw this and also looked at me, curiously. Clueless, I gave William a confused head tilt. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Fine although I have one more term to add" he cautioned stepping forward. "Collins-chan will hearby be assigned to monitor you and ensure that you do not touch a single soul, save that of Ciel Phantomhive until I, her superior and administrator, am satisfied that you will abide by the terms of our deal" he declared. Sebastian considered what was said while holding his chin in thought. He passed a brief glance over me and then smiled at William-senpai.

"Deal" they, very stiffly, nodded to each other. _William-san is most likely too disgusted to __shake his hand _I sweat dropped. With negotiations made, William gave me a final nod and headed to bed. I turned to Sebastian who was watching me with vicious indecisiveness. Shocked, I held up my hands innocently.

"You heard, I'll merely shadow you. I have no intentions of interfering with your work" I assured him. Trusting me on this, he nodded and turned to walk away. Dutifully, I followed.

"So...if I may inquire, what is this errand you have to run?" I piped up as Sebastian glanced distractedly around he tents. He tossed a glance at me over his shoulder.

"To visit the heraldry office and identify a particular human with a signet ring" he recited. I nodded and an image of a photograph on Beast's desk came to mind. _Baron Kelvin was it? Ah so they're investigating the missing children?...Will they be the cause of his death?_ I pondered. Sebastian seemed to study me for a good minute.

"As a shinigami, you probably know his identity already? Surely you understand that my master and I are investigating this man" he said slowly. I grimaced and nodded.

"Yes, I know him and his crimes. Though it has been agreed, that we shall not interfere with each other, therefore any information I obtain as a shinigami, I cannot share with you" I stated firmly. His eyes flashed with annoyance and he seemed to have a speech prepared when we overheard two voices. We turned our heads and decided to listen quietly. It was Joker and Beast.

"Let's give this a rest. We've got this circus. I'm sure we can get by. So let's wash our hands of this business and run away to where father can't find us" Beast pleaded. She seemed aggitated and impulsive as ever. _Ah, so we're going to see what's she really thinks and feels about all this evil._

" 'Over the hills and far away'...is that it? That's not possible. I've no time to be chatting 'bout this with ye" he said and turned to walk away. Beast became desperate and threw her arms around him from behind. Her velocity almost threw the two of them to the ground.

"Wait!" she cried. Joker was stunned, but heaved a heavy smile after relaxing into her embrace.

"What's wrong with ye? 'tain't like ye to be acting like this. This is something we set our minds to doing. We decided we're going to protect what's important to us...and do whatever it takes" he sighed grimly.

"But...but I just can't bear to see your pained expression anymore! 'cos I..." Beast struggled as if in pain. She paused to collect the courage. _She wants to confess. Poor girl...poor cruel girl._

"'ave ye forgotten? We can no longer turn back" Joker told her gravely, gripping her shoulders tightly. "Go on. Keepin' late hours, 'tis bad for ye" he said with a fake smile. He then left for ''father's'' manor after bidding her a goodnight. Beast stood staring after him, hurt and disappointed. Glancing at Sebastian, a plan seemed to form in his mind.

"We musn't interfere with each other, remember?" his eyes sparkled mischievously before he leapt out onto a mobile cage.

"Dear, oh dear. Are those tears I see?" he rumbled.

"You! 'Tis naught to do with you! You'll get lost quick if you know what's good for you!" she exclaimed though her voice betrayed her current, vulnerable state of mind. Sebastian chuckled and closed in to take advantage. I narrowed my eyes and crept closer from the shadows. _He's not planning to...eat her, is he?! _I gasped. I grasped the handle of my blades and sent him a warning glare, which I'm sure he could feel prickling at the back of his neck.

"You do not have even a passing chance there, if you ask me. It is useless to have your heart set on someone like him and no other...someone who is kind to you, for he cannot return your affections, even though he knows that doing so will make you suffer even more. How cruel" he sympathized. "Just how long have you been carrying on like this? With these unhappy tears and a relationship that only gives rise to maudlin sentiment" he teased further. I could see he was tring to get her worked up._ Get her riled up to her breaking point, break her and control her like a puppet. Make her feel like he can manipulate the pieces of her life to fit back into place. Cunning devil._ Beast was indeed becoming furious with him as she took a swing at him.

"What the bloody hell d'you understand?" she roared.

"Not a jot, as of yet. But there is something I do know" he answered smoothly while side stepping her fist of fury. "A way to release you from that pain, if only for a moment". _Ah, so he isn't going to eat her?..._

"Enough of your joking, let me go!" she struggled in his grasp.

"What use is there in letting your hurts accumulate? The weight of those emotions keeps you from moving either forward or back. Regardless of how desperately you shout, he will never look back" he purred in her ear. "You poor thing" he struck a cord in her with his pity. He then began to whisper in her ear, bittersweet words, coaxing her over the edge. _William-senpai was right. He sways his prey with sweet words, all the while dragging them into the darkness. So the quarry does not notice the face of the beast that lurks behind it. He proceeds cleverly,... sweetly,...quietly._ Beast became limp and lost all vitality. A broken spirit. A shell of a human being.

"You're like the devil talking in whispers" she choked out through tears.

"I want only to know...to know that secret place deep within you" his muffled tone sounded as he smiled victoriously into her hair. He had her hook, line and sinker. _Amazing _I thought sorrowfully. _Demons truly are a formidable force of nature._

"Not here, at my tent" Beast swallowed. Sebastian proceeded to sweep her off her feet and with quick, graceful strides, entered Beast's tent. I waited outside as some...animalistic sounds came from within. I was quite nauseous for the remainder of the night. Once all noise had ceased, I poked my head, cautiously of course, inside. Both figures were in a deep sleep. I sighed with relief and decided it would be best to sleep in William-san's tent until morning.

When dawn broke, I lay in Black's old cot and waited for Spears-senpai to awaken. He did so around eight and looked at me in surprise.

"I thought I ordered you to shadow the noxious beast?.

"You did. You also agreed that we shinigami would not interfere with his business. He had a task to accomplish so I got out of his way for the night. I shall return to shadowing him presently" I informed him. He seemed to want to argue this logic but thought better of it. "With regards to the mission, am I to abandon my new post to join in the reaping of the souls? Surely you do not intend to reap them all on your own" I pushed for some answers. This predicament had been conflicting me from the very beginning of my being assigned to watch over the demon butler.

"You will remain with the demon. Souls are to be reaped at the Phantomhive Estate, so if it happens that he is there coincidently, then you shall perform your shinigami duties. If, by some chance, he is not there, then I shall have called for back-up to reap the souls. You, however, shall follow that beast like a hawk. I will restate that I have no trust in that dog or its master" he droned. I nodded.

"Thank you for clearing that up. Please count on me to ease that which troubles you" I bowed. Dismissing me, we headed out. I made it outside the circus grounds and waited for Sebastian and Ciel to leave the troupe.

They came out not long after myself. Sebastian was carrying Ciel. He most certainly looked worse for wear after his asthma attack last night. His complexion was pale and unhealthy. His breathing appeared to be a laborious struggle.

"Sebastian, I command you to answer me: what did the reaper mean by 'Collins-san has her orders'?" he wheezed. Here, I stepped into view before them from behind a siccamore tree.

"It means, young earl, that I am to keep watch and ensure your demon does not devour unclaimed souls. My superior has major trust issues and is overly cautious in such matters" I drawled. _I hate being the suspicious figure but what choice do I have? _Ciel squinted and huffed. Sebastian gave me a cold look and leaned in to hear his master's reply.

"Very well. Allow her to do as she wishes".

The walk back to the city was quite awkward. No one spoke. A frosty breeze blew the hair from our faces and the only sound to be heard was the song of a robin, creaky carriages and Ciel's harsh breathing. It was also Ciel who broke the silence as we turned onto the street where his town house was located.

"~~~-san, if it would make things easier for all of us, you should take on the disguise as Sebastian's assisstant. That way you could keep an eye on him without having to keep an awkward distance. Plus, it might be interesting to have you around. I'm curious about the nature of you shinigami. None of you are the same..." Ciel mumbled feverishly. Surprised, Sebastian and I snapped our gazes to gauge each other's thoughts. Nothing was given away in either of our expressions.

"Well, Ciel-kun, that's a phenomenal idea, although I think that's just your fever talking. For now, I shall accept, but if you change your mind later on, do not hesitate to request some form of boundary between us" I implored the ill child. He waved his hand carelessly at me as we climbed the steps.

"Fool. If you're going to be around us, it would be troublesome if we did not have an answer to questions of your identity and connection to us" he rasped. Sebastian was silent this whole time.

"Is that alright with you?" I asked him quietly. He seemed surprised at my asking him.

"What a foolish question. I adhere by my master's wishes without judgement. That's is a butler's aesthetic" he humoured me. I grinned at his response.

"You're an odd one".

"I am merely one hell of a butler" he winked as I opened the town house door to let them inside.

"CIEL!" screamed a lively, childish voice.


	8. Assisting

**That Shinigami...Assisting**

"CIEL!" screamed a lively, childish voice. We stepped inside the town house and I quickly shut the door as two indian males rushed forward to greet the young nobleman. "You went off for two whole days without a word to me! Just a little longer and I would've asked the police to send out a search party!" a dramatic boy with plum coloured hair waved his arms frantically. _Over reaction much? _I sweat dropped. His companion, who had silver hair and a turban, smiled cheerfully and greeted each ot us warmly.

"It's none of your business" Ciel grunted but was cut off by a coughing fit. Everyone became concerned by the sound of his hacking. _It much resembles that of the children we've reaped in the cold mines and English factories. Oh dear. _The energetic Indian inquired to the earl's health but was coldly pushed away. Ciel whispered rapidly for Sebastian to bring him to his room. We dashed up the stairs, passed the distraught foreigners who were attempting to check Ciel's temperature. We made it to his chambers and slammed the door shut.

Sebastian laid Ciel out on the bed and allowed him to catch his breath, now that his incessant coughing was calming. He turned to me with a guarded expression and requested that I fetch a suitable change of clothes.

"Excuse me?" I demanded incredulously. "That's not exactly in my line of work you know". The demon glared heatedly at me and bared his teeth slightly.

"If you want to sucessfully act as my assistant, then do as I say without question, shinigami. Or are you as incapable as your superior to adapting to roles outside of fooling around?" he hissed. I stomped over to him with murderous intent, but was prevented by Ciel's words.

"Miss Collins, what we are asking is not that hard. Even a fool could accomplish this act. To put it in simpleton terms, you merely have to obey Sebastian's butler related commands and tweak some of his mannerisms to suit your facade. Do you understand?" he said coarsely. I gazed at the floor and considered his reasonings. _Seems simple. I've done it before, have I not?_

"I believe, you need not say anymore. I have gotten to where I'm at as a shinigami, through modeling my work off the actions of one, William T Spears. I believe I have tweaked his work attitudes to a degree which has lead to my success. Although, I am much more patient if I do say so myself" I winked. Ciel shot me a sly smirk and heaved a sigh with his eyes shut firmly.

Not wanting to make anymore of a fuss, I began rooting through a boudoir. Sebastian squinted at me before retrieving a basin of hot water and a towel. He helped sponge down Ciel's body to free him of any grime he picked up at the circus. They made small talk over the hidden detail of Ciel's childhood asthma. Ciel was adamant that he had grown out of it and that it was a trivial ordeal that he had suffered an attack. As his butler, Sebastian vowed to read up on asthmatic records to be prepared for any set backs.

I finally selected garments which, from recent observations, I felt would best suit the young lord. I laid them out on the bed and waited by the window for Sebastian to dress his master. They went over what little details they had of Baron Kelvin while I observed the view of London's streets. _Mortals everywhere you looked. Street urchins scurrying about like rats looking for scraps. Unntouchables curled up in alleys, waiting to be pitied or to rot away ungracefully. Gentlemen escorted ladies to and from hansoms. Such a corrupt yet structured society. And the only place where no discrimination can be found, is their ludicrious loyalty to he queen._

"We're going out. Miss Collins will you be following?" Ciel's voice called as he made his way to the door.

"Yes, my lord" I smirked mockingly. _Maybe playing a part of his flock will be interesting and full of experience. Kami knows it will be a field experience like no other. I'm most fortunate for being presented with this opportunity. Did you intend for it to be like this, William-sama? _I thought as the dashing butler opened the door for his bochan...only to be blocked by the pearly haired Indian who bore an absurd facial expression. We stared at him, completely baffled by his actions, until chuckling was heard and his companion stepped up from behind.

"Not so fast, Ciel! You won't be able to leave this town house that easily while I'min charge of protecting it!" he interjected, assuming a defensive stance in the doorway. "You do have a cold. And as viceroy of this town house and your best friend, I cannot overlook it!". _Huh, Ciel has a close friend of such fiery disposition? Who knew? _I smiled, glancing at the amusing mortals before me.

"Who's my best friend again? Don't joke with me" Ciel growled as he side stepped his momentarily disheartened aquaintance.

"Agni! Do not let Ciel pass, no matter what!"he commanded aggresively.

"Jo Aagyaa"answered 'Agni' while unraveling the bandage which was wrapped around his right hand. Thunder seemed to rumble around this guy as an onimous aura surrounded him. My eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. _Samadhi? This human had attained such power at such an age?! And all for that teenager?! _I was gobsmacked having read a fraction of the power mortals could draw from devotion to any one individual. _I shall have to be wary of this man _I thought as a shadow passed over my eyes. Back to Ciel, who was grinding his teeth together roughly.

"Now see here you two, I have work to do! I haven't the time to take part in your silly games! *koff*. Out of my way" he barked. The teenager continued to insist Ciel return to bed and to rest. Ciel became so distressed that another spout of coughing ensued and hindered his advancements. As a final resort, he called for Sebastian to get him away from them. Brainlessly, he was about to oblige when Agni clenched his fists and stood defiant against him. He was outraged with the black butler.

"And you, Mister Sebastian, how can you call yourself Lord Ciel's butler?!" he snapped. Sebastian halted and appeared confused.

"Let me say this as a fellow khansama, no...as your friend. Your first priority must be your master's health! In this case, should you not consider Lord Ciel's health and stop him forcibly, even if that should mean disobeying him?" he gushed with passion. _I think I almost swooned. I feel like I will greatly respect this man. _I chuckled to myself. "To always have your master be cheerful and healthy. For that, you must wager your life. Is that not the very essence of being a butler!?" he finished, breathing heavily. Silently, I applauded him briefly from where I stood. Ciel threw a brief glare in my direction that screamed 'don't-applaud-him-oppose-him-damnit'.

"...I believe my duty is to fulfill my master's wishes, but...certainly..there is an element of truth to what you say as well" Sebastian nodded gradually. Ciel tried to protest this newfound logic but his proclaimed best friend threw an arm around him and proceeded towards the bed.

"Based on that, the patient must go to bed. I shall see to your care personally! Agni! Make some rice porridge! Miss, you go prepare a medicinal bath! Ciel's khansama, get his nightgown outand an ice pillow!" he commanded, despite Ciel's protests. Finding no other option, we all obeyed the youth's instructions. I added to Ciel's personal tub both warm, and cold water in an ideal ratio, a few drops of rosemary oil, lemon peels, thyme and lavendar. I used my arm to stir the water and help with the release of the nurturing toxins and anti-oxidants. By the time Ciel was forced into the bathroom, a strong, healing smell was rising from the tub. Sebastian proceeded to once more undress Ciel, so I exited the bathroom and sat on the bed. The eccentric Indian emerged from the en suite and plopped down next to me with a sigh.

"So who are you? I've never seen you before. Has Ciel-chibi made a new friend?" he smiled at me.

"Something like that. I am to be Sebastian's assistant for a period of time. ~~~ Collins. And who are you?" I introduced and extended a hand. He grinned from ear to ear and clasped both hands over mine.

"I am-" he was cut off by his khansama entering with a tray of orange juice and porridge.

"He is the twenty sixth child of the Raja of Bengal: Prince Soma Asman Kadar" he said on entering.

"Agni! This is ~~~-hime! She is Sebastian's new assistant! ~~~-hime this is my khansama Agni" Soma cheered. Agni nodded his head respectfully and offered a kind smile. I grinned in return.

"Pleasure to be aquainted with you both" I chirped. _I like these humans. They're fascinating!_ Ciel-kun then exitedthe bathroom with Sebastian, dressed in his nightgown. He wore an unhappy pout as a thermometer was thrust into his mouth and he was ushered to lie down under the bed sheets. Once his temperature was taken, Soma began to shovel the porridge into Ciel's mouth. When Ciel refused to eat anymore, Soma stood back and wiped at his forehead.

"Whew! There we go! What a relief!" he exclaimed, satisfied that Ciel was fed and comfortable enough to get some rest. Agni cheered for his prince's efforts, while Sebastian smiled helplessly at Ciel. I shook my head and took the tray holding a half empty bowl of porridge, which Agni had brought up to the bedroom, downstairs to wash.

I returned to the bedroom after washing and putting away the dishes. _Playing assistant to mister butler is fun, though I do admit I miss Boo dearly. Stupid human attachment. _When I came in, Ciel-kun was sound asleep in bed. Soma-san was bathing his forehead with a cool cloth. Sebastian was observing Soma's actions while Agni was on his knees in admiration of Soma. Safe to say, I would have to get used to scenes such as this if I was to continue my work around these people. Feeling awkward by the door, I tip toed over to Sebastian's side and stood quietly, like any assistant would. We stayed like that until the early hours before dawn. Soma tired himself out and fell asleep resting on Ciel's bedside. Enough time had elapsed for a fever to break, in my opinion.

"Perhaps we should check bochan's temperature now?" I whispered. Sebastian looked back at me and nodded. Agni andI watched as Sebastian lay the back of a gloved hand on Ciel's forehead.

"His fever seems to have gone down" he confirmed with a sigh.

"His breathing has returned to normal and his colour appears much better than it did yesterday. We too can breathe easy now"commented Agni.

"Indeed. That's a relief. He should be back on his feet in no time at all" I said with relief. I was anxious, more so to get back and resolve the case than for Ciel's health. I'd rather be in action than nurturing. I'm not that kind of girl.

"I have heard it said that the best medicine for human recovery is sleep...so let us not wake them" Sebastian motioned for us to leave the room. Agni gathered Soma onto his back (piggy-back style) and we carefully filed out of the room. We were making our way down the hall to Kami knows where when Agni spoke up.

"Mister Sebastian, I apologise for flying into a rage and raising my voice yesterday. I could not restrain myself" his tone was regretful. I was walking in stride with him and gave his shoulder an amiable squeeze.

"No. Your words were of great interest to me and provided me with much food for thought" countered Sebastian. Agni became even more modest. _Never thought he could be any more humble than he already is._

"Oh no, I did not say anything so great as all that. Mister Sebastian is a far more perfect khansama than one such as I".

"But you're not nice" said a muffled voice, surprising all of us.

"Eh?" Sebastian and Agni stared at each other in puzzlement.

"Prince Soma? You're awake?" I asked reaching to move hair from his face.

"No! I'm asleep! The one speaking now is Agni! Now move your mouth!" Soma blatantly mumbled into Agni's neck. We all paused and waited to hear him out. Agni went with it and played puppet, miming for Soma's speech like a ventriloquist.

"Compared to me, you are not nice to your master at all". 'Not nice, you say?' Sebastian mumbled to himself as he began to ponder Soma's words. The peaked my interest. _Everyone's so open to opinions here. Usually things are set in stone and there's no questioning it. Mortals have more freedom than they realise _I grew envious of them. "Ciel's still a child! He's of an age when he ought to be allowed to idle in bed all day if he has a cold and have his parents spoil him. But he doesn't have his parents to do that for him" he grew slightly upset. "Well, I didn't exactly have my parents around either, but...instead the old man and Mina doted on me with their might and treated me most kindly. So..." here Soma raised his head and sobered. "You should do the same for him...Dote on him and spoil him silly. Got it?! Be nice to him!" he cried, flinging himself from Agni's back and dashing back the way we'd come. Sebastian stared after the prince, dumbfounded, while Agni resumed worshipping his prince and chased him down to his quarters.. I couldn't help but laugh.

"His words are true, to an extent" I chuckled, looking to Sebastian. "Hmmm, does the demon have what it takes to dote on a child?" I hummed in a teasing manner. In the blink of an eye, I was pinned against the wall. My head bounced of the plaster and I watched in shock as the demon glowered down his nose at me. Halting for a moment, he took the time to huff a low laugh and step back once more.

"Oh, I'll show you, shinigami. Just as your attentive nature towards humanity has astounded me, I shall show you how even us monsters can be tender at will" he said suavely. My breath caught in my throat slightly and I pushed myself off the wall. Shaking lightly, I approached him. With ease and speed, I seized his cravat, threw him against the opposite wall and pulled his face down to meet mine. I glared hotly into his chilling, carmine coloured eyes.

"If you ever touch me without my permission like that again, I will not hesitate to remove a limb of yours" I hissed. His eyes widened as a sly smirk developed.

"Understood. Though could you release me? You've loosened my cravat and I'm sure it would be troublesome if we were seen in such a compromising position" he purred. Blushing furiously, I put a good gap between us, while he made himself presentable once more.

"Now then-" he was interupted by a phone ringing. He smiled, what seemed to be an ironic smile. "Could you please clean out the fire places?" he asked and walked off to answer the phone. I watched him disappear around the corner and down the staircase. _Jerk...what was that all about? _I scowled and entered the nearest room, which just so happened to be the library. _A tender monster? Really, is there even such a thing? All they know is hate, lust, evil and raging hunger...right? _I questioned whith a shake of my head.

Finding the library to be quite comfortable, I returned there after cleaning out all of the fireplaces and dusting the entire town house. It was evening time and I had enjoyed a green thai curry at supper, which Agni had made for himself and Soma, though he had plenty leftover to share. The burst of spice, flavours and aromas was out of this world. It's a wonder how such a skillful artist is a mere human. The demon butler must also be envious of this man's talents. While Agni and I ate at the kitchen table, Sebastian had set about preparing a soft, nutritious meal and desert for the Lord Phantomhive. It was the ideal recovery concoction of milk risotto and mushrooms with pork in a wine sauce. To finish, he drizzled warm apples with yogurt sauce. Vitamins,protein and energy galore.

I was exhausted from not sleeping all night and working all afternoon. It was a relief to finally throw my feet up on the couch. On the coffee table, I spied an indigo paper-back book. The gold print along the spine told me it was a book of selected fairytales. _No energy to find a better book...what harm could it do _I figured as I reached across the short distance between setee and table for the binded parchment. Flipping through various pages, I happened across a title which instantly charmed me. During my studies of the mortal realm, I had heard this story repeatedly and felt enarmoured by it. I read until my hearts content, but just before the conclusion, my eyelids drooped to darkness along with my concious.

**Narration change!**

Sebastian had just finished serving Ciel his dinner. On hearing of Lady Elizabeth's stay at their manor, it was quickly affirmed that they would be solving the case immediately. Dressed and ready to depart, Ciel sent his butler to retrieve the newest addition to their household. 'She may be of use to us' were his words as Sebastian exited the Earl's chambers. The alluring butler could sense the reaper's presense in the library and swiftly, he entered. There he found the girl sprawled out on the couch, soundly dozing with a book opened on her face. A smile bubbled onto his features and he raised his fingertips to his sensual lips. {can't believe I used that description XD }

"Honestly...slacking off already" he scoffed. His mind drifted to the troublesome trio back at the manor. _And here he thought a shinigami would cause him less inconvenience than those imbeciles._ He moved beside her head and prepared to loudly awaken her when curosity struck its damnable head. He delicately retrieved the book and opened the last page she had read. _Folktales? _He mocked. _How childish of her...and what fairytale did she choose? _He flicked back to the begining of the chapter. His carmine eyes faded to their natural alure and he returned his gaze to the young woman. _Beauty and the Beast? Amusing. You couldn't get any more naive could you?_ His chest rumbled with laughter. If his master was going to have fun watching him interact with the enemy, then he was going to have fun terrorizing the enemy. Harmless fun, really. _Or so he thought._

"MISS COLLINS! I will not tolerate slacking off! We are leaving this second so get up" the butler clapped loudly and strictly. ~~~ shrieked and rolled of the couch, onto her feet. Eyes wide, she calmed her thundering heart and scurried out the door. Sebastian followed with a devious grin, as his eyes turned ruby red once more.

We joined Ciel at the top of the staircase. With demon and reaper flanking him, he was more than confident of setting out to accomplish his current objective. Not even a deranged Asian would stop him.

"Ciel! You're trying to go out again, aren't you?! You won't get better that way" Prince Soma scolded, much like an elder brother would.

"Yesterday. I'm told you were uo all night taking care of me" Ciel stated calmly. Soma perked up at this. "Thanks to you, I've quite recovered. Thank you so much" he beamed. ~~~ nearly fell down the final few stairs from shock. _He smiled at Soma?! _

"I see! It's all thanks to me! When you receive the proper care, your rate of recovery is a whole other story!" Soma gloated as his ego inflated considerably. Taking advantage of this distraction, the trio booted it past the smug teen.

"Yes. And on that note, the quite healthy me will be going" Ciel said hastily.

"See you later, Prince Soma-kun" ~~~ waved cheerily. Soma gasped as the door shut.

"You tricked me, Cieeeel! I'll get you for this when you come back! Bye ~~~-hime!"he screamed at the door.


	9. Night of Terrors

**That Shinigami...Night of Terrors.**

William T Spears stood perched on the tiled roof of Baron Kelvin's manor. He checked his pocket watch and consulted his Death Ledger. Not long now until the reapings of the night would commence. He feeling a bit peeved at the lack of assistance he would have on this side of the city.

"This late in the game and still no reinforcements. Really now!" he tutted to the messenger bird who rested upon his index finger. Quite the majority of souls were to be reaped from innocent children here tonight. He felt the need to request an extra handful of reapers attend the matter with him. At least he could count on ~~~ Collins to take care of the cast members who were to meet their end in the Earl Phantomhive's manor. Well, that what he thought, until the sound of rapid footfalls approached. He glanced to the front of the building and hissed, narrowing his eyes. Collins-san slowed to a brisk walk in line with the human child and his demon contractor. They were approaching the manor with iron determination and valour. William gritted his teeth in annoyance. How had he not guessed that brat would be present for the Baron's curtain call. And with her recent orders, Collins would be of no use to him if she was following him closely. William snapped his head toward the messenger bird and tucked a small scroll into its holster.

"Deliver this document to the personnel division. Post haste, if you please" he ordered, shooing the bird off into the night.

~~~ Collins POV

My feet sank gently into the gravel on arrival at the Baron's manor. Sebastian landed beside me, carrying Ciel-kun. We had both used our supernatural qualities to get here in under an hour of relentless running. I inhaled deeply and fixed my wind swept hair as Sebastian lowered Ciel-sama to the ground.

"Is this his manor?" Ciel asked, eyeing the manor with distaste and a cold attitude.

"Yes sir".

"Well? Do you smell them?" he asked Sebastian expectantly. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at me. I was too busy taking in the surrounding area to pay him any notice. Best know all the main ins and outs of a structure before barging on in. Biggest mistake a shinigami can make is letting a due up soul slip past them, at the expense of their own lack of preparations. Sebastian-dono's nostrils flared slightly as he took a whiff of the night air.

"I do indeed. I cannot tell whether they are all here...but those present are still alive" his tone was grave. We climbed the steps to the main door when I halted quite suddenly, bringing attention to myself. I got the prickling feeling of someone moving around inside and tensed. I watched as the door eerily slid open and a silhouette stepped out. A familliar voice greeted us.

"We bid ye welcome to our home. We have been waiting for you...Earl Phantomhive" it said. The moonlight cast away the shadows and his identity was revealed to us.

"Joker" Ciel grunted. He seemed startled and wary at Joker's presense and sent him a frosty stare.

"Please, come in" he bowed and escorted us inside. Everything fibre of my being urged me to keep my guard up. These walls were concealing a multitude of horrors and I had best brace myself. _Remember what the Death Ledger predicted. This ain't gonna be a pretty walk in a rose garden _I prompted mentally. We were passing through the main hall and froze as candles lit up the room. The interior décour was a prologue of the horrors we were soon to witness.

"This is...!" Ciel exclaimed, flattening his back against Sebastian's and whirling around in a flurry. Mangled, distorted synthetic limbs hung from the concave ceiling. With my heightened shinigami senses, I could faintly smell decay, hear the agonies of voices long since lost to this earth and feel the paranoia radiating from behind the intricate walls. It was sickening and my stomach churned with revulsion. I fingered the hilt of my scythe for reassurance. A quick glance at the demon told me he was unaffected. _He's probably caused conditions worse than this...like the plague._

"This way" our escort ushered us up a flight of stairs. Ciel-sama hesitated and hung back to consort with Sebastian. He waved me to walk in front of them and I obliged. I treaded carefully behind Joker as he led us down a series of empty hallways. Sebastian-dono and Ciel-sama whispered softly behind me, but soon stopped as Joker took to chuckling ironically.

"Looks like there's a touch o' truth to the saying that folks aren't always as they seem. Ye've got such a little body, yet your stage names are 'The Queen's Watchdog' and 'The Aristocrat of Evil'. Must've 'ad a rough go of it, eh Smile?" he smiled compassionately. I grimaced. _He's so going to be reprimanded for addressing him in that fashion._ True to my thoughts:

"That's EARL Ciel Phantomhive to you. A mere servant is in no position to speak to me in such a familliar manner" Bocchan sneered, ephasising his title.

"Ye are indeed a noble aristocrat" Joker murmured with a submissive shrug. "Dinner is served" he announced, pushing open the double doors. To me, he seemed tragically broken. I almost felt sorry for him. _Too bad his existence isn't mandatory for the survival of the human race._ We were shown into a dining room where a table was lain out to perfection with a silk tablecloth and exquisite China dishes. The room was alight via candelabra and a stage was erected before the dinner table. _Live entertainment?_ I frowned. "This way please". Ciel was seated at the end of the table, where Sebastian stood over him protectively. I followed his exmple and stood to the other side of the young earl. With my sharp hearing, a creak rang out from behind the door at the opposite end. Joker made his way over to open it. Sebastian leant forward to inform Ciel.

"I believe he has arrived". Pushed in a wheelchair by two infants entered our host, Baron Kelvin. My forehead creased with the strain of trying not to show my distaste. I could smell the exposed flesh under his bandages. It was a hard scent to ignore and from the expression on Sebastian-san's face, I knew he could smell it too. The scent was tinged with infection and sterilising agents. The robust man gaped at Ciel, who gasped at the sight of his enemy. He fought at the urge to shudder violently.

"Y-you've come at last Earl Phantomhive! Ah, it's like a dream! To have you so close to me! Though I am most ashamed to see you as I am..." Kelvin sputtered and finally glanced down, blushing in his supposed embarassment. I couldn't help it. I gagged slightly and hid behind Sebastian, hoping my reaction would go unnoticed. Ciel seemed to want to react in the same way I did, yet being a noble, he had enough dignity and composure to ignore his primal instinct and act civil.

"Are you Baron Kelvin, sir?" he asked quietly.

"I am. I must say your formality is making me feel most self-concious! I have prepared a feast for you. The wine is an 1875 vintage, from the year of your birth. I wonder am I being too pretentious?" he babbled on enthusiastically as food was served and wine was poured. I fidgeted slightly and stood stiffly. All the souls who were to be reaped in a matter of minutes were surrounding us. _Calm yourself! They're waiting on the Earl. Besides their fate is final._ Sebastian was scrutinising my mannerisms whenever the 'servants' came close. He was slowly putting the pieces together in his mind. To distract myself, I noticed Ciel hadn't moved yet the Baron was staring at him like he was about to announce he'd been on the moon. I raised the glass of wine Joker had set down to my lips and took a brief sip.

"There is no poison in it" I sighed, setting the glass down.

"I have no intention of eating something that a rat has served, ~~~. Tasting it for poison is pointless" huffed Ciel uncomfortably. "Anyhow, those children...it would seem there are more victims beyond those indicated by police records. But the way they look-" he was cut off by Baron Kelvin's obnoxious voicebox.

"Ah yes. The earl must also find a lone meal boring. Joker! Bring THAT out for him". Joker snapped poker-straight, his eyes and facial features panicked. He stuttered nervously until his master snarled viciously at him, a piece of half chewed lobster hanging between his teeth. With a pained sigh, he nodded and bit his lip in a tortured act of submission. From his waistband, he pulled out a cane, twirled it in his hand and tapped it against the floor like the expert ringmaster we had first met. He began his introduction as infants donning masks and costumes filed onto the stage, while we watched silently.

"Welcome, Earl Phantomhive. This evening we shall 'specially convey ye to a world of dazzling delights. First, we go to the tightrope!" he directed our attention to a girl who, in a dazed state, climbed a ladder over twenty feet in height and began to walk along the rope. We were horrified to find no safety equipment on stage. "You will find nary a tether! This is as authentic as it gets!" Joker declared. But as he spoke, the child tilted and plummeted like a ragdoll to the ground. She crashed ungracefully against the floorboards and her cranium split open, coating the stage in fresh pink, grey and red. Joker flinched at the crunching sound her body made. Disturbed by what he had just witnessed, Ciel flung his chair back and got to his feet, jumping at the sound of the Baron's hysteric laughter and applause.

"Next, our beast tamer" Joker's voice cracked. He stared at me as if he was frigtened to look anywhere else. I watched him with bewilderment and sympathy. _This is so wrong! Mortals like this shouldn't exist! Oh Kami, this is barbaric. Demons bestow more mercy than this._ I shook and trembed as a lion was released onto the stage. Joker continued to focus on me while he spoke.

"Watch with bated breath as the ferocious lion is expertly-" there was nothing left to comment on as the beast lunged and ripped its victim to shreds. My mind swam. _That could've been Boo._ My lip curled up with a silent growl as our host's laughter increased. Joker cringed at the sound. His eyes were wild with regret and mania.

"Next we have knife-throwing! What will be the fate of the crucified lass?" he was hysterical. The timbre of his voice was strained and desperate. I bit my lip so hard it began to bleed. My hands moved to grip my twin dueling blades. My unique eyes darted every which way I looked. Cinematic Records were streaming around me, waiting to be pierced and judged. They needed me to judge them swiftly to put them at rest. _New orders or not, I am a shinigami. This is my duty for crying out loud! _I began to draw my blades when Ciel's hand shot to stop me. I gawked as a dagger spun rapidly for the girl's head.

"Put an end to it, Sebastian!" shouted Ciel frantically. Quick as a lightning bolt, Sebastian was on the stage, catching the dagger between his fingertips millimeters from the child's blank pupil. He withdrew and pulled out loose sheets of paper from his overcoat. Ciel and I exhaled. I was startled by how I participated in such a human action. _Perhaps their nature is infectious?Why did he stop me? _My heart began to race, my chest clenched and heaved. _What the-?!_

"Ellery Nixon, who had gone missing in the Cornwall area. There is no mistake. It is she" Sebastian read aloud and turned to smirk proudly at his master. "Just as expected of you, Bocchan". Joker let out a sigh of relief, now that the masacre had come to a pause. He seemed fit to crumble to dust. Baron Kelvin was aghast, speechless. His mouth hung open at the speed and composure with which Sebastian worked.

"Throwing abducted children into the ring as they are. I see. This is another way of enjoying the circus" Ciel spat haggardly, casting his piercing eye on the frantic nobleman.

"I-I-I'm sorry. Did this not please you either? Joker! Clean this up at once!" he stammered, whipping his head to and fro to make sense of what it was that displeased Bocchan Ciel.

"I've had enough. I do not wish to share a table with rubbish that is inferior even to domestic beasts" he spoke with unrivaled vehemence. It made the corners of my mouth lift ever so minutely. _Finally, a mortal with some respectable qualities to serve. Is this why the demon treasures him so?_

"Eh?! Is something wrong?" fretted Baron Kelvin. Slowly, like a cat stalking its prey, Ciel-sama stepped around the chairs and slinked over to his foe.

"I need only report this much to her majesty, The Queen. That this vulgar, odious...perverted and vilest of all boors was disposed of by me, The Watchdog!" he declared and swiftly drew a pistol from his person, pointing it at Kelvin's temple. Insinctively, Joker leapt into action to protect his father figure. He unsheathed a rapier from his staff and poised it ready to plunge into Ciel's throat at any sudden movement. Meanwhile, Sebastian kept him at bay with his dagger from earlier, ready to slit Joker's windpipe wide open. _No! There's no hesitating for now! _In the time it takes for a mortal's brain to send neurological messages throughout their body, I had drawn and split my dueling blades and criss-crossed them around Sebastian's neck. He threw me a glare and Ciel stared coldly at me. Joker seemed puzzled and conflicted by our position.

"What are you doing?" Sebastian hissed, both in annoyance and amusement.

"Not letting you harm a mortal, that's what" I glowered and applied enough pressure to bite into his skin.

"Do not interfere with our business, remember" he huffed, quiet enough so that Joker's blood shot ears could not hear us. It took me a moment to reconsider. No one seemed safe. Well, Baron Kelvin could only think of one person who should remain unharmed.

"Joker! Stop pointing such a dangerous thing at the earl! Can't you just listen to me?!". Joker was torn and made to protest. But added pressure from Sebastian's blade forced him to withdraw, though with great reluctance. We forced him to back away and I cautiously removed my blades, though I kept them out and ready to act in case anyone made any rash moves. Sebastian and I shared a threatening glance of warning and compromise. We stood and watched as Ciel interogated Joker's putrid master.

"Baron Kelvin. Where are the kidnapped children?".

"What's this?! You wanted to see them, did you? They're in the basement, so I'll show you the way just now" he gushed excited at the opportunity to please Ciel-kun. "And, there's something else downstairs that I want to show you besides!". Ciel struggled to keep himself from pulling the trigger. He nodded for the man to lead the way, pistol remaining by his earlobe. The children by his side began to push the wheelchair towards a set of double doors, which they had entered through previously. I moved forward and cautiously opened one. After scanning the corridor behind them, I found no threat and opened the other door wide to permit all members of our group. It was silent and tense as we wound our way down a stairwell. The silence was soon broken by the fool's nattering.

"To be strolling beside you this way is really like a dream!". My eyebrow twitched with nausea. _It's men like him that the mortal realm would certainly be better off without. _Ciel seemed to mirror my thought process.

"Enough of your idle chatter. Take me to those children at once".

"'k-kay! Sorry. But I'm so very happy. I've been full of regret ever since that day" he murmured thoughtfully. "Wondering over and over why I couldn't have been there by your side...on that day, at that place". We stopped outside another set of double doors. This one felt cold and sadistic. My sense where going crazy. I could smell blood, feel darkness and despair seeping out from under the doors. Faint sounds of shuffling and whimpering echoed off the inner walls. I squinted and raised my blades a fraction. This was enough to catch Sebastian attention. His pupild dilated to resemble his nature even more and he nodded to me. _I sense it too, brace yourself _he seemed to say. Ciel was oblivious of course due to the limits of his mortal habits.

"That day? By my...side?" he racked his brain for an explaination."What the hell are you going on about, man?!". The children began to open the doors and the smell intensified, like a wave washed out over us. Joker seemed to go limp in Sebastian's grasp.

"I can't turn back time no matter how great my regret. But then I realised it! That I can just do it over even if I can't turn back time! There! Feast your eyes!" he cried out and lifted his hand, as if to caress a lady's cheek. What we saw before us was most definitely not on par with what mortals call a 'delicate lady'. We had entered a rounded cellar with stands to hold a large audience, much like the circus. At the bottom of the steps, where a ring would be, was an altar and an intricate pentagram. Behind the altar was three small cages, containing twenty mortal children. "It took me three whole years to prepare this. Now let us recreate it anew, Earl Phantomhive! That fateful day, which came to pass three years ago!" clapped the psychopath with surplus enthusiasm. Ciel stood rigid, petrified with the scene.

My eyes had engraved every detail in my mind. _I'll be having nightmares set in this location for months to come! _My wrists twitched anxiously. _These are the souls that shall be reaped. Must reap. MUST reap! _My shinigami instincts were thrashing and biting at the bit. I felt my entire frame shake with power and adrenaline. I shook my head. _Focus! Get a grip! There's business to be done before judging and easing those souls. _Joker and Sebastian were watching me warily as I trembled and desperately fought my urges. It's only natural for newbee shinigami's to feel their duty so heavily. Any time green Grim Reaper's come within proximity of an unreaped Cinematic Record, they're seized by the need to fulfill their duties. This was still happening to me, though I should be at the stage where I slowly become able to control this sense of duty.

Numbly, Ciel was following the Baron down the steps, as he revealed the occurence leading to this abominable crime scene. His tale began five years prior, when he was introduced to Ciel and his predecessor at a mortal's ball. He fell in love with the beauty of the Phantomhive's and their dark secrets. He struggled and pried into their shady society. Realising one had to be 'special' to associate themselves with such people, he became desperate to transform himself and be worthy of their high standard of beauty. He underwent surgery to change his apperance completely, abandoning everything he had achieved in life. He was devestated when he heard about the fire that scorched the Phantomhives from existence. Then, a comrade of his from the underworld society visited him while he was in recovery. He revealed how Ciel was in their posession from the black market. He was to be their 'sacraficial lamb'. At the news of Ciel's survival, the Baron was rejuvinated and begged to be allowed to see him. When he was refused, he fell into despair.

"I still cannot forget the pain I felt then. I, who had throw away everything for you, was the one who could not see you. I wondered why fate kept us apart so..." the Baron turned with a sombre expression. He was at the centre by the altar not and had turned to address us. "And then that day, the lot of them dissappeared. Not a one was left. It was you, wasn't it? Hm, Earl? You did them a favour and killed them all". His sudden jump in energy was dizzying. That and my trembling had yet to cease. I could sense the soon to expire souls closin in around me. I stood beside Sebastian and tried to breathe deeply. It didn't help that he was still restraining Joker, one of the soon to expire souls.

"Aah. How I envy them! One couldn't ask for a more beauteous final moment, bidding farewell to life with the cold moon attending one's deathbed" he threw open his arms, inviting Ciel. "Let me join their ranks! This is all as it was that day! Look! I've got everything ready: the venue for the ritual, the lambs and last but not least...you, my dear Earl!" he said with such pride and glee. He continued with his speech. "Honestly, I wanted to come and get you myself-" he was cut off by his chest exploding with a shower of blood. A deafening gunshot sounded out as Ciel-sama squeezed the trigger and put a bullet through the Baron's thorax. Ciel panted and seethed with anger and disgust. I froze all over and watched as Joker roared and relinquished his faux hand. He charged at Ciel and I was powerless to stop Sebastian from slicing the rest of Joker's other arm off at the forearm. He fell to the ground in shock.

"Might you be so kind as to not interfere with my master" Sebastian chided, casting a mocking glance in my direction. Joker began to cry and writhe in pain, along with Baron Kelvin who slumped out of his chair with a dull thud.

"I-it hurts Earrrl! I-I'm in a-agonny" he rasped. "I b...I beg you. I-if you're going to kill me, kill me just like you did them!".

"Like I did them?" Ciel whispered to himself. "Then get on your knees like a worm and plead with the devil" he said with malice as he cocked his pistol, pinned Kelvin's head to the ground with his boot and reaimed. Joker knelt on his knees with great effort.

"Please don't kill 'im! Be he as he may, we still owe him our lives!" he choked. "We, who were abandoned by our parents, by this nation! He saved us from the terror of starving to death, which plagued us day in and day out. We've many little brothers and sisters still in the workhouse. They can't make it if he's not 'round".

"So...That's why you kidnapped all the children? You obeyed this man's orders and made sacrifices of others in order to save yourselves?" I spoke monotonuosly._ You can hardly expect much from humans. They tend to value themselves over all else. And when they disregard themselves, they adhere to another's cause, regardless of the principles._

"Yes. You've got it right. For those born like us, Great Britain in nothing short of hell. We had not the bread or the skills to protect each other. We had nothing" he spoke passionately. "But father rescued us up from the rubbish heap...and gave us limbs that could protect the ones dear to us. That's why we decided to go on living, even if another hell was waiting for us with open arms. I knew we were wrong from the very beginning. But I-" he began to blubber at the end of his rant but Ciel-sama cut him off firmly.

"You did the right thing".

"Eh?" Joker was shocked. Tears were gently rolling down his cheeks as his mouth hung open in surprise.

"You fought to protect your own world. There's nothing wrong with that. After all, the justice in this world is a sham created by those in power for themselves. No one gives a damn about anyone else. If you're careless, you're sure to lose. To begin with, only two kinds of human have ever existed in this world. Those who rob, and those who are robbed" Ciel lectured with pride and condemnation. "And today, I shall rob you and your allies of your futures. That's all there is to it" he finished with his resolution made. Joker keeled over and began to laugh bitterly.

"Ye said it! But see...ye'll also lose something precious this night. The circus troupe's heading to your manor" he grinned. Ciel and Sebastian seemed to think of something and tensed. _Must be someone at the manor they're worried about_. _Could it be his betrothed? The silly blonde girl whose mother mistook me for a prostitute? _I made a face at the thought. -_-*. "Why d'ye think we've been able to kidnap children without anyone catching on to us? It's 'cos all the witnesses cease to exist. Those of us in the troupe, we're professionals. We dispose of everyone we come into contact with during our missions, no matter what reason" Joker continued with indignation. "I wonder how many people'll get killed off as they go sniffing 'round for a target that's not there in that great big house?".

"Get killed off?" Ciel mused.

"Indeed. Right down to the last of the servants".

"The servants you say?". Ciel and Sebastian began to chuckle cruelly. I was just as clueless as Joker, and cocked my head in confusion. _They mean the happy, bubbly trio? What possible chance do they stand against the flexibly adapted circus crowd?_

"What is so funny?!" Joker howled.

"What do you take them for? They are servants of the Phantomhive family" Ciel smirked proudly. He held his head high and sneered purposely down his nose at Joker. "They are private soldiers, carefully selected and hired by myself and my man, Sebastian here. To protect the secrets and honour of the Phantomhive Earldom, come what may. That is what it is to be the servants if the Phantomhive family". My eyes widened into saucers. _Mortals are most deceptive!_

"Private soldiers, ye say?" Joker gasped.

"Phantomhive is a shadow, a phantom that exists solely to obliterate the sorrows of her majesty, The Queen. Step into its den, and you can never hope to return to the light" Sebastian recited like a well-known piece of literature. _He must inform all of Ciel's victims of just who they're dealing with like this._

"They're anythin' but amateurs themselves. They won't be done in so easy, like-" the poor teen was grasping at straws. He really hoped that his loved ones would come out on top. A small victory that would make all their crimes worth the pain.

"Though you are free to believe as is your wont, pray, do not forget they are individuals selected by me" Sebastian simpered, waving the dagger in his hand in circles, crushing Joker into despair. _I truly pity him. Poor kid _I frowned deeply. He slumped over whimpering.

"We...what else could we 'ave done? Like Tom, the piper's son, in the nursery rhyme...we could do but one thing...'only play one tune'...but if we'd been born in another country instead if this one, if I...if my body...'adn't been this way...it wouldn't 'ave come to this!" he sobbed pitifully. Ciel turned his back to him, facing the stairs that would lead him outside and away from the madness.

"Don't weep so disgracefully. Your tears will change nary a thing. The world is never kind to any of us" he called callously.

"Smile..." Joker whispered sadly. His eyes were pleading. _Don't let me suffer anymore. Forgive my sins and allow me a taste of peace and freedom._

"I am Ciel Phantomhive. That is my one and only name" Ciel said, looking back curtly at Joker's weakening form. I shook my head sadly. _The reapings...it's almost time I suppose..._ Mine and Sebastian's heads snapped up as the sound of rotating tires was heard from beyond the double doors. _Ah...now there's that guy..._


	10. Curtain Calls

**That Shinigami...Curtain Call.**

"Apologies for having kept you waiting on additional reserves!" the open doorway revealed et another man in a wheelchair, rushing towards us. He was middle aged brunette with messy hair and glasses. He was startled to see us standing by the altar. "Oh? Black and Smile. Ah, now I see" he smiled and stood up from his chair. "And you must be Kitten. Joker has spoken of you. Though your accomplice isn't here...Alas, so what Joker was saying was right on the money, hm? You're the legendary Wacthpup of the Queen, all the more trouble than the Yard 'cos money has no hold on him" he began descending through the stands.

"Doc...yer legs...ye can walk?" Joker wheezed.

"My legs? Aah yes, my legs are, in truth, just fine" he laughed and a sly glint shimmered behind his lenses. "Children like you are less suspicious of folk in such circumstances so I just always sat. Ah! Baron Kelvin?!" he was distracted by the corpse and rushed forward to examine the damage. "Oh nooo! He's beyond my help now. How could you?! And after I'd finally met a patron who understood my ideals..." he sighed miserably.

"Your ideals?" I echoed. _I now he's meant to be a whackjob, but what does he dub ideals?_

"Yes. Since long ago, I have continually developed and experimented in the quest for the perfect artificial limb. And as a result of my research, I succeeded in creating the best material possible! Lighter and more durable than wood, and still possessing the inhuman beauty that is particular to ceramics...I came to create something that no one had ever made before. However, gathering the raw materials for it is a rather complicated venture, you see" he flaunted about like a dog who steals a sock for fun.

"Indeed. The artificial limbs of your making were enchantingly silken to the touch...almost like tableware of bone china" Sebastian-dono praised silkily. He had a misted look in his eyes. _Ew, no doubt he's thinking back to Beast..._I thought with a look of disgust.

"So you understand the beauty of my creation, do you, Black!?" the Doc relished in the praise he was hearing. "But in reality, you're still slightly off the mark! If you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you didn't lump my creation with bone china, which is made with the bones of cows and other livestock". It seemed he was scolding us for not appreciating just how unique his methods were. _As if. Praise is the last thing he deserves. Such a despicable example of a homo-sapien._

"Ah yes. You did mention that you use special materials did you not?" Sebastian humoured him further. I shot him a look and whispered with heavy vex in my tone "Don't feed his ego!". I was cut off by the oblivious man in question.

"Yes, that's right. And I only obtain them here" he explained, opening one of the three cages. "This way, I don't have to trouble myself with their disposal either. Isn't it the best recycling scheme you can think of?" he boasted. Joker was repulsed and began to vomit excessively.

"W-we've 'ad in on such a thing...this whole-?!" Joker gagged in horror as he realised the reality of all he had played part in. The bigger picture was coming into view, and it wasn't a welcome sight to behold. His gaze bore down onto his false arm with loathe and repugnance.

"Here we go again" Doc sighed in disappointment. "Come now, don't reject them like that. When the truth of the matter is kept in the dark, everyone praises them as magnificent". From the cage, he dragged out a young fair-haired girl. She was as dull and lifeless as the rest, allowing herself to be dragged across the ground awkwardly. "But the Baron was different. He was a wonderful patron, one very much motivated by the pursuit of beauty. He provided me with an abundant amount of materials and endless funding. Don't you agree that the best materials are essential to creating the best works?" his speech was becoming increasingly fast and manic. Insanity was radiating from him as he flung the girl effortlessly upon the altar and righted her fragile, gaunt body. "There's no success that comes without sacrifices, but to the fools in this society...they say cow bones are acceptable but human bones are not? Who made those rules?!" he bellowed, and pulling a surgeon's knife from his sleeve, he began to hack and mutilate the girl's body. I watched in horror as blood, flesh and bone became visible. Then, a faint glow became visible to my eyes. _The Cinematic Record. _Not only hers, Joker's too. _It's time. _My vision and focus began to zone in completely on their souls. My body went numb all over and my muscles relaxed. I slowly paced forward. I didn't notice Ciel-sama drop his cane and spit bile all over the floor, catching Sebastian's attention. All I could think about was how it was time. _Time to bring an end to their final chapters. I am a shinigami. My duty is to judge the souls of mortals for the benefit of the human race, and lay to rest the unbeneficial. I alone bear this duty. _My scythe became one with my arms and I cleanly cut into Joker's back. His flesh parted cleanly, hardly a drop of blood appeared. I watched silently as his life passed before me. He had been such a peaceful, kind-hearted soul. It was there, underneath all the sin and pain. Summoning energy into my hand as William-senpai had thought me, I conjured my own Death Ledger which would report instantly back to HQ with details for paperwork.

"Son of prostitute Karen Taylor, real name not recorded. Born April 2nd, 1863. February 9th, 1889 dead from extensive haemorhaging. Judgement complete No additional remarks" I spoke authoritively and stamped the top corner. Turning, I was on time to see Sebastian extract his hand from the Doctor's chest cavity. Before he could slump to the floor, I surged forward and sent both my blades through his middle, barely missing Ciel's back on the other side. Sebastian manuvered him out of the way with a look of awe.

"Best stay out of my way while I work" I whispered in a tone that would seduce any mortal man into obedience. His eyes glowed as I watched Doc's Record go by. While I was busy judging him to be worthless, the demon and his master continued to kill Baron Kelvin, viciously stamping his brains out like the tightrope child from earlier that night.

"It is done" Sebastian announced as the final breath whooshed from the deadman's lips. I was now attending the girl on the altar's soul. Sophie Finch, born May 17th 1880, February 9th, 1889 dead from bloodloss as a result of severed limbs. Judgement complete. No further comments.

"Burn it" Ciel gritted hoarsely.

"Burn it? You mean this place?" Sebastian questioned.

"Yes". I stalked over to Baron Kelvin's mushy head and decided to spare my blade the stain. I swiftly slashed open his clavical with a right back-slash. His record poured out most hideously.

"But Bocchan, gathering from her majesty the Queen's correspondence, this mission consists of finding the perpetrators and rescuing the children, does it not? The perpetrators have been-" Sebastian's lecturing, robotic voice was silenced instantly.

"Quiet! Shut your mouth! Don't leave any trace behind. Turn everything here to ash. Have you forgotten your duties as my servant? I command you!" screamed Ciel, his voice increasing pitch by a few octaves. A replay of Kelvin's head being squashed by Sebastian's foot shot up, ending the reel of his life. Baron Kelvin, formerly known as William Thomson. Born 26th June, 1824. Physicist and philosopher. 9th February, 1889 dead from shattered skull causing neurological damage. Judgement complete. No additional remarks. *stamp*.

"Yes...my lord" Sebastian grinned and set to work on provoking a blaze large enough to burn the house down. No survivors would be found. And so, my shinigami duties would be left to the capable hands of my superiors while I followed Sebastian-dono and Ciel-sama.

We stepped out from the incensed manor and met Doll, who was rushing forward, frightened by the blaze and shrieking for her brother Joker. She skidded to a halt when we approached her.

"Black...Kitten...Smile? Why're you three here? What's happened?! Where's brother..." she faltered, as embers fell from a billowing cloud of ash and fumes.

"He has passed away" I said quietly. _I took him from you, you pitiful human._

"Eh? What're ya sayin' Kitten?! Hey! Smile! C'mon! Talk to me!" she sputtered and reached out to Ciel. Before she could grab his hand for comfort, he slapped her away harshly.

"Don't you dare touch me in such a familliar manner!" he roared, wild from all that had taken place. She expected him to comfort her? He needed more consolation from all he had seen and done.

"Under the orders of her majesty, the Queen, we were in pursuit of the culprits behind the serial child kidnappings" Sebastian smiled wolfishly down at Doll. Horror invaded her scarred face as she figured out that we all knew of the circus troupe's crimes.

"So ya three were really from the yard?! Ya came to capture us..."her voice cracked.

"No you are wrong. We came to kill you, as the house of Phantomhive, the Watchdog of the Queen" Sebastian cooed. I nudged him with my elbow.

"I know brutality is your specialty but really now, was there any need for those selection of words?" I drawled, yawning. He shook his head with a twitching smirk.

"Says the one who, in the end, takes the souls away from this realm". I shot him a coy smile.

"My duty, not my choice".

"The watchdog...of the Queen...Phantomhive! No way...Smile, yer...yer a Phantomhive? Then yer sayin' it was all a lie?! Everythin'!" Doll snapped and resorted to hysterical cries and accusations.

"Yes, exactly. I am Ciel Phantomhive. I have but one duty...to destroy all that causes her majesty grief. That is why they were killed. Kelvin and Joker. It was I who killed them" his words were final and convicting, though the look in his eye was dead and guilt stricken.

"Uwaaaah! Never!...I'll never...forgive...I'll never ever forgive you! Smileee!" the orphan bawled and flicked out a handknife. She vaulted forward in blind rage and charged for Ciel. Ciel-sama's eye slid half closed with weariness.

"Sebastian". Doll's Cinematic Record began to glow.

"Good sir, would you care for some oranges? They're a penny each.". We were at the train station the following day, after Ciel-san had finished preparing a report for the Queen on the case of Noah's Ark Circus and its involvement with serial kidnappings across her great country. Ciel-kun decided that a trip to the workhouse where the troupe had been brought up in was in order. Ciel glanced back at the youngster who stood hopeful of selling some fruit.

"Buy some" he waved. I followed him onto the train while Sebastian bent on one knee and paid the minature mortal.

"Thank you so much! May the Lord bless your journey" the girl croaked happily and skpped merrily away with her day's earnings. _Aw how twistedly cute_ I smiled softly. I began storing Ciel's luggage in the overhead alcove when Sebastian-dono joined us in the carriage. We nodded politely to each other. It was safe to say we were on better terms with each other after the night before. It was evident to me that he was only interested in the Earl's soul so my current position was unnecessary. But until I could contact or hear from Spears-senpai, well I was going to have to get comfortable as a staff member of the Phantomhive's. Imagine. Private soldiers, a demon and a shinigami all at his disposal. Ciel Phantomhive had way more power on his hands than any thirteen year old should ever be burdened with.

"As we left on short notice, I could not procure two third-class tickets. I apologise for our accompanying you in a first class seat" Sebastian spoke and sat down gracefully across from his master.

"I don't particularly mind" Ciel closed his eyes as the train whistled and began to move out of the station. I was seated beside Sebastian and was deep in thought until a question came to mind. I cleared my throat and Bocchan opened his indigo eye to give me his attention.

"May I ask you a question?".

"Let's hear it" he blinked curiously.

"Why are you going to the workhouse where they were raised?" I blurted out. He blinked again in surprise. He took a moment to think and shrugged.

"Their patron is no more, so the workhouse can't keep operating. Now they need a new patron. Someone like Earl Burton, who doesn't frown on making donations to charity, would be ideal, so an introduction may well be in order" he offered off-handedly. Having no idea what he was on about, all I could do was nod intelligently.

"Do you pity them?" Sebastian piped up politely.

"Dealing with the aftermath is also part of my- Phantomhive's – duties. There is no need for society to pay for the underworld's selfishness".

"Then what of those children?" I pointed out. They perished though they had every opportunity to be released from the manor and returned home to their families. Yet Phantomhive-hakushaku had them all expire in an unglorified blaze.

"I have seen children like that before. Many of them. Once they get to be that way, there is no bringing them back. And in that case..." he trailed off, leaving his butler to pick up on his meaning.

"They are better off dead? How very arrogant of you" he teased.

"Is there truly any human who is not arrogant?" retorted Ciel. I smirked and shrugged.

"Well, I have yet to meet one, but..." Sebastian thought for a moment. I giggled slightly.

"I don't see you being one to associate with any such mortal, if ever they existed, demon" I stuck my tongue out cheekily. He winked at me and we turned back to Ciel.

"For a weak human...let alone a child, how much strength do you think they have to muster in order to rise anew from that situation? I myself was only able to recover because I happened to be able to summon a creature like you back then, but the lone devil there in the Kelvin Manor was you. And you belong to me. I am indeed arrogant. However, I'm not so arrogant as to boast irresponsibly that I can save anyone" our Bocchan lamented. I looked silently between Ciel and Sebastian. _How did they meet? What happened Ciel-kun that was so devestating? I'll check this out later..._I noted mentally. Sebastian chuckled at his master and beamed.

"Is that so?

"Renbourn Workhouse?" the old man's eyes widened.

"Would you please take us there?" I bowed respectfully.

"It's on my way so I don't mind, but wot's an aristocratic group like ye want with such a place like that?" he inquired. We had arrived at our stop and found no other mode of transport than to hitch a ride off a passer-by. A kindly looking farmer with a wagon was the lucky fellow we happened across and asked this favour of. He agreed after we told him we had business to attend and hopped onto the cart. We were seated on bales of hay. Not exactly what an Earl would reduce himself to, but then again, Ciel is an exception to many standards set for Earldom. After half an hour of a rickety ride, we were passing by a steep slope. The wind picked up as it faced the south.

"I'm sure 'twas yonder this hill" the farmer called loudly over the breeze and pulled his horse to a halt. Sebastian jumped down and helped Ciel and I clamour down from the wagon. Not that I needed help, but butler aesthetics called for his insisted assistance. We trekked up the mount and a gust of wind caused Ciel to stagger slightly at the peak. When he finally regained his balance and looked up, he gasped. The workhouse was in ruins. It had been neglected for well over a decade at least.

"It would seem that Baron Kelvin was lying. This place appears so dilapidated that it has most likely been uninhabited for quite some time. Judging from the way in which the Doctor was speaking, perhaps the children were also..." Sebastian hummed and set the luggage down on the grass. I walked forward to go inspect the ruins but stopped as Phantomhive-hakushaku began to cackle. Taken aback, I whipped around and stared as he all but fell to the floor with laughter.

"There was nothing left. What they were trying to protect had ceased to be long ago. Without even knowing that much, they were still that desperate and they all died in the end! Ahahaha!" he gasped for breath. I rocked onto my toes and looked over Ciel-sama's hat at Sebastian-dono.

"I think Bocchanhas lost it". He did nothing but watch, dumbfounded. as Ciel-san continued to chuckle and ponder aloud.

"Sneering at desperate wishes and trampling them like insects. How dishonest...and cruel...and ugly. So much move devilish than even an actual devil, Is that not so?" he spun and hugged himself tightly against the wind. "Hahaha. I am the same. I too am packed full of the same hideous stuffing as they. This is what we humans are! This is what humans are like! ~~~! Sebastian!" he proclaimed triumphantly. I was still looking at him in mild amusement and nodded gleefully.

"Yes. Yes you are" I mused. _If I were any closer to you, I'd probably pat you tophat condescendingly._

"Yes quite. You are different from devils in that you possess mean and complex malice and you lie-" Sebastian's commentary was cut off as another gale blew over us, catching the ribbon on Ciel's hat and taking it with it. He let out a surprised sound and reached out to catch it. Even with his extra height, Sebastian could not catch it. And so we all watched as the wind carried it off over the hills and far away. "That is exactly why I find humans so amusing" Sebastian's velvety words were the final syllables uttered on the hilltop. With nothing more to do on site, we made our way back to the village where the train station was on foot. We would rest in an inn for the night and return to the Phantomhive Manor in the morning.

**Author's Note**

**Phew! End to the Noah's Ark Circus case! I'm glad that there are readers enjoying it thus far. The info on Baron Kelvin's name and job, is real believe it or not. It's in Yana's notes and wikipedia. Yay historical accuracy! :D Sorry to say that school is taking up much of my free time which is why updating becomes so irregular on my behalf. Apologies. Anyway, I will continue ASAP and I'm happy to be where I'm at in the storyline now. I will have much more fun now that ~~~ is part of the phantomhive staff and will have plenty of one on one time to bond with Sebby-kun ;) Until Chapter 11!**


	11. One Big Happy Family

**That Shinigami...One Happy Family.**

It was late afternoon when we finally hurried up the dirtpath to the nearest countryside inn. It appeared to be cosy and typical of a countryside structure: small, quaint and painted white with a black slate roof and roaring red front door. Around the back stood a barn and chicken pen. Poultry strutted around on a thin surface of gritt. The smell of fresh manure and clean air was refreshing in comparison to the stagnant city air. Well, these were ~~~'s sentiments at the very least.

"Uck, what is that smell?" coughed Ciel-sama, waving a gloved hand in front of his nose.

"I believe that's the smell of cattle droppings, my lord. Do you have trouble distinguishing scents now?" mocked Sebastian. Ciel shot him a terse glance.

"Don't be foolish. It's unbecoming of you. Just get us accomadation here for the night and prepare my lunch. I don't like the look of those clouds" he sighed aggravatedly. Collins-kun smiled at the young noble. It was different to see him as a young boy rather than a nobleman after recent events. She made it her goal to allow him indulge in boyhood whenever the chance arose. It was the least she could do for 'her new bocchan'. They made their way indoors, safe from the smoldering storm clouds that were blowing in from the east.

"Sebastian-san, if it suits you, I'll begin making lunch while you arrange our lodgings" she suggested, catching him by the elbow. He raised an eyebrow at the contact but mustered up a quirky smile.

"If you please then, Miss Collins". Nodding, she twirled and glided in the direction of the kitchen.

**With Sebastian and Ciel**

"So what do you make of her? Is she really just keeping tabs on you?" smirked Ciel as the shinigami skipped through the kitchen door. He drummed his finger impatiently on a desk as the innkeeper bustled about to prepare a record of their stay. The mysterious butler blinked at his master and smiled politely.

"She's of no threat, if that's what you mean, my Lord". Ciel hummed and suddenly took note of a plaque mounted on the wall **FAMILY INN ONLY. **He swore as the old lady who wore a traditional pinafore and apron presented Sebastian with a slip of paper.

"Sir, if you'll just sign the bottom of the page, you and your family will be all set for the night" she croaked, but turned as a cat and dog went tearing through the lobby. "Buster! Leave Petrucia alone!" she hollered. Ciel's mouth hung open so wide, a fist could have easily fit between his teeth.

"He's not my family, he's my servant! Honestly, what kind of prejudice is this!...Ugh fine just sign the blasted papers Sebastian. Not like we'll find anywhere else nearby" he decided with conviction. Sebastian, however, was paying his bocchan no heed. He gazed longingly at where the landlady and animals had scuttled off to.

"Such a beauty...Petrucia was it?". Ciel slammed his head into the desk. This would prove to be a long overnight stay in the inn.

**With ~~~**

She hummed a funeral tune to herself as she raided the cupboards and storage cellar. She had no idea what to serve Ciel for lunch, nevermind what she herself felt like. There was a head of lettuce, stale bread, dried meat and softened apples and tomatoes. With nothing better in mind, all she could do was slice the most approvable piece from the pound of meat and bread and prepare a rustic BLT sandwhich. Once she was finished, she retrieved a patterned plate from an overhead press, laid it on the table and served the food onto the plate, garnished with parsley.

"It'll have to do I guess" she sighed and carried the plate to a small lounge room. Inside sat Ciel at a chessboard, playing against another boy his age. A teenage female sat on the loveseat. She was oogling with desire at Sebastian, who stood by the window with a mischievous grin, observing his master thrash the stranger at chess. He glared heatedly at Ciel.

"Stupid nobles. Think you're so great" he huffed and slouched heavily back into his chair.

"If I'm so stupid, then why is it I'm winning?" he shot back with a lazy smile. ~~~ shook her head at their childish exchange and placed Ciel's food down on a nearby table.

"Bocchan, I'm afraid there isn't much to work with in the kitchen so I hope this is to your liking" she told him with hope in her voice. Sebastian seemed to be judging her work, more so than Ciel was, as he simply shrugged and took a bite from his food.

"It's passable" he commented through a mouthful. The shinigami squealed in delight and began to wolf down her own. The boy across from them suddenly lashed out with his arm, knocking the chess pieces onto the floor.

"I hate this bloody game!" he screamed and stormed out the door. The young lady gasped in embarassment.

"Do forgive my brother sir! He's awfully upset because our father and mother have been arguing, you see" she apologised and began to pick up the fallen pieces.

"Allow me" Sebastian shooed her back to her seat as both he and ~~~ retrieved and rearranged the mini icons. When Ciel had finished his meal, he glanced around the room with disinterest.

"Sebastian, make me some tea. ~~~, find me something interesting to read. No girly novels" he warned. The mystery girl shot a glare at the latter comment and fidgeted to re-adjust the novel in her posession. Sebastian bowed out of the room while ~~~ grimmaced.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Ciel-kun". She made her way to a book shelf and browsed through the colourful spines of literature, each scented lightly with must and shoving its way to be chosen by a reader. ~~~ was quite fond of some titles. She recognised and had in fact read the majority of them. She pulled out one of her favourites and prayed it wouldn't be to heavy going for Ciel-sama.

"Here you are my lord. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did" she chirped and passed the text down to him. She stood behind his armchair and leaned over the back, waiting to re-read it with him from behind. Ciel fondled with the cover and turned to look at her curiously.

"Plato's 'Republic'? You've read something this old of mo-" he was verging on saying mortals but a flash through ~~~ eyes reminded him of their other company. "Of morality and justice issues? I never would have thought that _you _would be interested in ancient _humanity _and societies" he hinted with emphasis. She smiled and shrugged.

"In my tutoring, I had plenty of time for extra-studies of the world" she winked. Nodding, Ciel turned to the first page and began to read, ~~~ not far behind him.

Sebastian soon arrived with tea. He served his bocchan and the young lady some peppermint tea, perfect for repelling the torential weather outside. As he set the tea beside his master, he swept a glance at the novel in his hand and quirked his brow.

"Philosophy? Really?" he mumbled. This action sparked a series of shushings from both Ciel-kun and ~~~-chan, who were deeply engrossed in the text. It wasn't long until Ciel scoffed and closed the book in his lap.

"His whole basis of setting up an ideal society is absurd. No humanitarian system would last in such a structure" he huffed. ~~~ looked wounded and she lightly patted him on the head.

"Oh Ciel-kun, if you would only read on, you'll see he explores the reasonings behind corruption which eventually leads to injustice in society such as tyranny and dictatorship" she smiled. Ciel swatted her hand away with an irked stare.

"Do you honestly believe there was ever such a society as perfect as his?" he asked her curiously.

"I do. At some point when society first was founded, I believe there must have been some form of peace and prosperity among the people. Only when someone was wronged did things get messy like today's societies" she said with confidence. Ciel smiled grimly at her.

"Then I believe you are a fool. Society could never have been perfect. Humans always eat away at each other and sabotage one another. There's no room for peace and prosperity so long as humans exist". The shinigami stared in wonder at the boy in the armchair, who calmly sipped at his tea with collective poise. Never before had one so young spoken to her like that with little thought and yet much depth. Not even her superiors spoke like Ciel Phantomhive just did. Sebastian had listened with interest to his accomplices until the silence ensued. He then pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time of day. Quarter to four. Not much else to do until dinner preperations at five thirty. The demon sighed quietly to himself. Through squinted eyelids, he caught the young maiden openly admiring his physical features. He shot her a polite smile to which she rouged preposterously. His lips curled into a predatory grin which she took as an invitation to make conversation and flirt.

"Such a mature young master you have there. I take it you are a role model of sorts for him" she smiled coyly. Smiling still, Sebastian shook his head in disdain.

"Nonsense. My master is in full posession of himself and needs no such guidance from a humble butler". His response was so well equiped and gavethe desired effect.

"Oh, of course I don't doubt the young earl, but his age must've been somewhat of a disadvantage before. My meaning is that you must have thought him a thing or two" she beamed like a lioness, waiting impatiently for the prey to slip up. Only thing is this poor lioness failed to notice the poacher's approach.

"I find that it is quite rude of you to discuss my young master while he is in the room and can hear you perfectly clearly young miss" the reaper reprimanded from her perch on Ciel's chair. Her sharp grey-blue eyes slicing through the air to stun the formerly confident mortal. She had no idea what to do as all eyes were on her. The scolding glare of the butler's assistant, the irritated stare of the earl and the teasing eyes of the butler. Blood vessels expanded rapidly in her face as embarassment took over. She slammed her clamy hands over them in an attempt to cool down but it was futile.

"Oh now look! You've gone and humiliated me!" she blamed Collins-kun and hustled out the door with her head hung low. The door closing swiftly behind her was the last source of sound in the room. It was quiet for a while.

"Huh. I wonder what Plato's society would be like if it was made up of people like her" hummed ~~~-kun with her lips pursed, eyes staring at the ceiling for answers. Ciel-sama scoffed and re-opened the novel in his hands.

"Imperfect like his actual one only more annoying" he mused to himself. Collins shot him a tired smirk and stood to clear away his empty teacup.

"Yes mi'lord" she mocked as Sebastian moved to assist her.

By the time dinner preparations were to commence, Ciel was quietly engrossed in the words of wisdom via Plato. Sebastian and ~~~ moved into the kitchen to assess what they'd have to work with for the evening meal. Collins-chan was leaning against the centre island with her arms crossed, watching as Sebastian pulled open cupboards and surveyed their contents. Eventually he sighed and turned back around.

"At best, we can prepare a garden vegetable pie for the young master's supper" he frowned, watching her eyes. Even he found it odd how uncharacteristic of a shinigami's they were. ~~~-chan ignored his gaze and moved to the back garden window. She stared outside into the heavy mist and then returned to her original position.

"If you ask the landlady, I'm sure you could opt for a chicken and garden vegetable pie" she shrugged. "Other than that, this place is fairly limited on supplies". Clapping his hands together, Sebastian nodded and smiled approvingly.

"Then can I depend on you to begin on making the puff pastry" he stated more so than asked as, no sooner had he finished speaking, he was out the door to the main hall. Collins-chan hummed cheerily and pulled out the ingredients and utensils she would need. Passing a sweeping glance around the room, she found herself completely alone. _Safe,_ she thought to herself. With preternatural speed and skill, she began to bind the butter and flour together. She sprinkled dashes of water when needed until the dough formed beautifully in her hands. Satisfied with the result, she set it aside to rest. Sebastian-san had yet to return so she figured she's start peeling and chopping the vegetables.

She completed one carrot when she felt a presense behind her and froze. Turning she came face to face with a headless, featherless chicken. Screeching, she brought her hand up to swipe at it but some flour particles were left in her palm. As her hand cut through the air, Sebastian-sama, who was holding the headless poultry next to her, was coated in a cloud of flour quite suddenly. His already pale features became indistinguishable and his face was a gritty wall of dust. The kitchen became still as poor ~~~-chan came to her senses and realised what had just occured. A dark aura began to enamate from the black butler as his souchef tried and failed miserably not to giggle hysterically. She knew she was in for it but the situation was simply too comical. Her heart thudded wildly and adrenaline began to flow through her veins as, slowly and dramatically, Sebastian-san allowed the chicken to slump from his grasp onto the counter top. As if not to alarm her with sudden movements, his fingertips gracefully pinched some flour from a bowl and flicked it in the blink of an eye in ~~~'s face. Stunned her mouth was open in shock that he didn't just kick her ass. In the time it took her to shake of the shock, his demonic speed allowed him to grab a baby carrot and shove it in her mouth also. She blinked and some beads of flour fluttered to the floor from her lashes. Her eyes watched him cautiously as he began to remove the skeleton and to slice up the chicken into bite size pieces. As he did so, he chuckled deeply. It was a chuckle that ~~~'s ears savoured and wished would last like a rich choclate on the tongue.

"Well, I never took you for the festive type but isn't it a bit early to dress us as a snowman?" he teased. The young shinigami jumped in confusion and it dawned on her that with the flour looking like snow and a carrot in her mouth, she looked an awful lot like a distorted snowman. Spitting out the vegetable, she shook herself free of the granules and placed her hands on her hips.

"At least I don't look like a bat suffering from white nose syndrome!". That earned her a playfully lethal glare as the devil wiped the remaining flour from the tip of his nose.

Dinner came and went with no more major occurences. Several inside comments were passed between butler and assisstant but other than that, they served bocchan his pie and a warmed fruit salad with custard as dessert. That evening, as they passed the time in the parlour playing old maid, the landlady burst in with a winning smile.

"Oh you dearies are such a sight for sore eyes. I wish my late'usband and young'uns were as comfy cosy with me as you folks are. Anywho ya'll came on a special night, so ye did. Tonight's music night" she cheered as the parlour was suddenly flooded with locals and guests. The furniture was swept aside and the trio jumped out of the way before they were swept away with it. Ciel-sama's mouth opened and closed in shock while the other two watched with disinterest. Without any warning, a small traditional music group began to play their melodies and couples, young and old, promised and strictly friendly began to sway and slide to the beat. Ciel-chan was just calming himself when the young lady from earlier popped up beside him, dolled up in her finest ballgown and powders.

"Won't you allow me a dance to amend for my behaviour earlier?" she asked sweetly. Ciel-kun was about to turn her down, _What would Lizzie think?!, _he paniced until Sebastian's taunting tone reached his ears.

"My my, bocchan, a brave and bold lady just took control and asked you to dance with her".

"Oh come now, a real gentleman knows to never refuse a lady a dance" winked ~~~-chan at the young miss. She never expected to receive a grateful smile, and she didn't. The teen's lips pressed together in a firm line as Ciel sighed and nodded his consent. He knew what was expected if him, he just hoped that what he expected of himself would not come to pass. And that was that his lack of talent for dancing would show! Sebastian and ~~~ watched in amusement as Ciel struggled to uphold polite converstaion and watch where his feet were leading him. Collins-chan failed to stifle her snickers of laughter as he stepped on his partner's toes every so often, causing her to bite her lip in frustration and curse inwardly while retaining a strained grimace. Her hand was the only thing keeping her silent until Sebastian stepped in her line of sight, his hand extended towards her.

"Assuming that consorting with the likes of myself doesn't appall you, may I have this dance?" he bowed with a cocky smile. ~~~-chan paled at the thought.

"Not that it's you, it's me. I'm not all that much of a dancer-"she tried to reason but was cut off as Sebastian ignored her reasoning and dragged her out into the dance floor. She stumbled past the mortals who paid her no intention, as they themselves were lost in the eyes of their partners. Collins-chan glanced hopelessly up at the demon, who knew exactly what to do. He held her left hand in his and firmly held her back against him with his right hand. He stared down at her in mild mockery as she struggled to process what way to move. They awkwardly moved from one side if the room to the other, jostling ignorant couples as they went. ~~~ was panting and blushing furiously as they completed a circuit when Sebastian sighed.

"For a troubling and skillfully swift shinigami, you are about as hopeless as the young master in the art of dance" he grunted as she, once again, accidently kicked his shin. _I wish that had been more forceful and intentional _she thought with an irritated expression.

"Well, it's your fault for not listening! I tried to tell you I'm useless. They don't teach us shinigami such useless acts" she babbled defensively. He expertly manouvered her into a simple twirl so as to avoid anymore disturbances and collisions. When the were in the clear, he pulled her closer and stared down his nose at her.

"And yet you've read the works of ancient philosophers?" he prodded.

"That was my decision in free time more than anything" she said, proudly sticking her tongue out at him. His eye colour began to disolve ever so slightly, causing ~~~-kun to stand straighter, stiffer and more alert. His grip tightened on her hand as he leaned down next to her cheek.

"I suggest you not do that again if you know what's good for you" he whispered in her ear. She inhaled sharply and jerked her hand from his grip. They pulled apart quite suddenly as the music came to an end. ~~~-chan was dazzled as every other mortal ceased their waltzing and applauded the band. She glanced at the demon who was grinning cheekily at her, his eyes back to their former ruby hue. She resisted the urge to flip him off as Ciel-kun approached.

"I've had quite enough for tonight! We're leaving first thing tomorrow. I'm going to bed" he huffed, holding his head through a growing migraine. The two supernaturals followed the young boy upstairs to their designated room. Sebastian-sama prepared bocchan for bed while Collins-chan turned her back to allow him some privacy. She surveyed the bleak, miserable weather outside and leant against the cool window pain. Her slow even breaths were reflected on the glass. _How beautiful, _she thought_, that the unnecessary is so mystifying. _She jolted back to the present as Ciel ordered her to draw the curtains. She did as she was told and turned to her company when the thought entered her head and left her to backtrack. There was only a single bed, occupied by Ciel, and a double bed, meant for his 'parents'. Sebastian seemed to read her mind and before he could assure her that he needed no sleep and that she could have the bed, she grabbed a pillow, a blanket and flopped onto the couch.

"Night guys!" she waved and turned her back to them. Ciel-kun was already drifting off and only mumbled his reply. Sebastian stood for a moment, then shrugged and blew out the candlebra. He removed his tailcoat, loosened his tie and undid the top four buttons {fangirls stay with me!}. Moving through the darkness of the room, he laid down on his back so as to not wrinkle his clothing and waited for dawn to appear.

Hehehe yeah just a bit of craic that's my original work. Next chap will get back into Yana's next storyline, I promise :D


End file.
